Principal Avionics Test Engineer

At Relativity Space, we’re building rockets to serve today’s needs and tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Our Terran R vehicle will deliver customer payloads to orbit, meeting the growing demand for launch capacity. But that’s just the start. Achieving commercial success with Terran R will unlock new opportunities to advance science, exploration, and innovation, pioneering progress that reaches beyond the known.

Joining Relativity means becoming part of something where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level. Here, you're not just executing tasks; you're solving problems that haven’t been solved before, helping develop a rocket, a factory, and a business from the ground up. Whether you’re in propulsion, manufacturing, software, avionics, or a corporate function, you’ll collaborate across teams, shape decisions, and see your work come to life in record time. Relativity is a place where creativity and technical rigor go hand in hand, and your voice will help define the stories we’re writing together. Now is a unique moment in time where it’s early enough to leave your mark on the product, the process, and the culture, but far enough along that Terran R is tangible and picking up momentum. The most meaningful work of your career is waiting. Join us.

About the Team:

The Avionics team is responsible for the full lifecycle of Terran R’s nervous system, designing, building, testing, installing, and operating the hardware that connects and controls every major electrical system on the vehicle and ground. The team’s structure intentionally combines avionics design, manufacturing, and test to enable rapid iteration and feedback loops. Engineers are deeply embedded into other functions within Relativity, working closely with propulsion, GNC, fluids, and stage engineering teams to ensure seamless integration and operation. Now is a unique time to join: you’ll get to help shape Terran R's fundamental avionics architecture and be given a high degree of ownership on components that will fly.

About the Role:

As a Principal Avionics Test Engineer, you will provide technical leadership across the Avionics and Software teams to drive a cohesive and effective test program for component, system, and vehicle level test:

• Manage requirements and derive verification plans at the component and system-level to ensure the team delivers a functional avionics system


• Drive the development of common hardware components (simulators, data acquisition systems, etc.) for use in component and system test


• Drive the development of common software frameworks (test sequence automation, data review tools, configuration management software, etc.) for use in component, system, and vehicle test


• Set technical strategy for development, ATP, and QTP functional, performance, and environmental testing


• Help lead vehicle-level integration and test activities including on-console operations, data review, and troubleshooting


• Lead electrical and software system validation efforts leveraging hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) and similar test platforms

About You:

• Undergraduate or graduate degree (BS/MS/PhD) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field


• 20+ years of experience in electrical or aerospace component and/or systems test


• Experience applying expertise in environmental test standards such as SMC-S-016, RCC-319, RCC-324, DO-160, or MIL-STD-810


• Experience applying expertise in environmental test equipment such as thermal chambers, shaker tables, vacuum chambers, etc.


• Demonstrated experience leading system-level design verification of complex electrical systems (e.g. integrated power system testing, communication system testing, etc.)


• Experience with basic software development tools and frameworks such as Python, Git, etc.

Nice to haves but not required:

• Experience with production work order or MES systems


• Familiarity with telemetry standards such as IRIG-106 or CCSDS standards


• Experience leading vehicle-level test campaigns for rockets, spacecraft, or aircraft

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:

$245,000 - $318,000 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.