The Thermal team is responsible for predicting temperatures and designing thermal architectures for structures, fluids, components, and avionics on reusable launch vehicles. With a strong grasp of thermodynamics and all types of heat transfer, the team addresses a vast amount of thermal challenges across all forms of ground use and flight phases. Leveraging first principle hand calculations, reduced order modeling, as well as detailed thermal modeling, the team is able to drive cross disciplinary vehicle designs. Our collaboration with hardware engineers and all other teams further enables us to overcome design and integration hurdles, ensuring a seamless and efficient development process from concept and through launch.
About the Role
Drive the development of primary structures, secondary structures, fluids hardware, and avionics that survive extreme thermal environments
Own the architecture, sizing, and development of thermal systems like insulation, heaters, thermal protection, and environmental conditioning in collaboration with peer technical teams
Build, execute, and validate thermal analyses at the component, sub-system, and vehicle level, including relevant tool development and automation
Direct, design and development engineers in the successful application of thermal sciences to achieve system and component requirements
Develop and execute tests to support thermal systems development and qualification, including hands-on work like test article integration, instrumentation setup, and data processing
Support vehicle and engine thermal system development and stage testing as well as flight operations
About You
Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field
5+ years experience in thermal analysis
Proficiency in component and system level thermal and fluids analysis, using relevant toolsets like Sinda/Fluint/Thermal Desktop or other commercial FEM/FDM/FVM solvers
Experience in an analysis role on an integrated vehicle program
Hands-on experience with writing test plans and performing testing, instrumentation, and data analysis at the component and system level
Experience solving complex problems on integrated vehicles with design teams
Experience with an engineering scripting language like MATLAB or Python
Nice to haves but not required
Graduate degree in engineering or related field
8+ years experience in thermal analysis
Familiarity with liquid rocket stage, engine architecture, and operations
Understanding of supersonic aerodynamics and aeroheating
Experience with launch vehicle thermal protection system materials and thermal protection system sizing
Experience with start to finish design cycles of multiple vehicles
At Relativity Space, we are committed to transparency and fairness in our compensation practices. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors.
Compensation is only one part of our total rewards package. Relativity Space offers competitive salary and equity, a generous PTO and sick leave policy, parental leave, an annual learning and development stipend, and more! To see some of the benefits & perks we offer, please visit here.
Hiring Range
$132,000—$198,000 USD
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at accommodations@relativityspace.com.
Please note: Relativity Space does not accept unsolicited resumes, candidate profiles, or referrals from recruitment agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited submission - via email, our website, social media, or directly to an employee - will be deemed the property of Relativity Space, and no fee will be owed absent a current, fully executed agreement with Talent Acquisition that specifically authorizes submissions for the applicable role.
