Sr Instrumentation and Controls Engineer
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Nov 3, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 29, 2026. Relativity Space scores B on the Alion truth index.
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 Stennis Test team designs, builds, and operates Relativity’s propulsion and stage test stands. Team members are hands-on with large-scale, complex systems including fully integrated engines and stage assemblies, pushing hardware to the limits and directly contributing to flight readiness. The work is fast-paced and highly operational, ideal for those with backgrounds in aviation, automotive, manufacturing, offshore operations, industrial systems, construction, or adjacent industries. You’ll work in a close-knit, dynamic environment where collaboration between technicians, operators, and engineers is not only encouraged, but expected. As the company scales, the Stennis Test team becomes even more critical to unlocking our next phase of growth: proving out full-stage systems and paving the way for routine, reliable flights of Terran R.
About the Role:
As a Senior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer (Data & Control Systems Engineer), you will lead the design, development, integration, and commissioning of instrumentation and control systems at our Stennis test facility. You will develop reliable, maintainable systems designed for safe operation by engineers and technicians with varying levels of electrical and controls experience. For complex applications, you will develop solutions from initial concept and design through implementation, testing, commissioning, and operator training.
You will work directly with technicians to build, troubleshoot, test, and validate systems, applying engineering principles to resolve technical issues and verify system performance. You will also provide technical guidance to other engineers, contribute to the development of engineering standards and best practices, and ensure systems are documented to support safe operation, troubleshooting, and long-term maintenance.
Projects will vary in scope and complexity, from individual instrumentation installations to large electrical control cabinets and facility-wide systems. Equipment and systems may include:
Instrumentation and measurement systems
Industrial sensors, valve controls, and actuators
AC/DC power distribution systems
Wiring harnesses and electrical interconnects
Motor and pump control systems
Gas detection and safety monitoring systems
Electrical protection and grounding systems
About You:
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
- 5+ years of experience developing, activating, and troubleshooting electrical systems. Preferably in a highly cross-functional environment
- Strong electrical engineering fundamental knowledge
- Experience designing and working with high voltage DC electronics
- Demonstrated ability to identify and mitigate risks in complex systems
- No previous aerospace experience is required
Nice to haves but not required:
- Familiarity with data and control systems (SCADA, PLC’s, NI, Beckhoff, etc.)
- Familiar with integrating industrial devices such as pressure transducers, RTDs, strain gauges, thermocouples, solenoid valves, accelerometers, microphones, etc.
- Familiar with communications methods such as Ethernet, EtherCAT, CAN, and Modbus.
- Experience using AutoCAD Electrical or Zuken
Successful candidates must clear a background check administered by the US government to obtain clearance for on-site work at our government partner location in Stennis, Mississippi.
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:
$124,000—$186,000 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 [email protected].
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.