Avionics Systems Lead Engineer

Hiring Range and LevelingSenior Engineer: $166,500 - $203,500 USDStaff Engineer: $197,000 - $241,000 USDLeveling and compensation will be finalized after the interview process, based on an evaluation of job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

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.

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.

The Interplanetary Sciences Program was established to expand access to scientific exploration across our solar system. Its mission is to make planetary research faster, more affordable, and more capable than ever before by rethinking how science missions are designed, built, and operated. The program aims to enable scientists to send instruments to distant worlds without decades of development or prohibitive costs. By creating a sustainable model for interplanetary exploration, we are transforming space science from an occasional event into a continuous process of discovery that accelerates knowledge, broadens participation, and inspires the next generation of explorers.

As the Avionics Systems Lead Engineer within the Interplanetary Program, you will own revolutionizing the next generation of in-space compute and storage capability by leveraging the latest terrestrial technologies and challenging the status quo of how high-capability compute and storage are done in the space sector.

You will be responsible for delivering fully functional space-ready compute units to the flight spacecraft as well as setting up ground-based hardware twins for hardware in the loop and terrestrial based compute capability. You will be working closely with the science team to maximize capability by balancing the compute (CPU, GPU, TPU, etc..), memory, storage needs with the technical constraints of the flight spacecraft (power, thermal, EMI, mechanical, etc…). This role will also work closely in conjunction with the software team to bring up the core software infrastructure both on the spacecraft and on the ground side, and iterating with the software team to ensure the full compute system operates as intended in all environments.

This role will be a high responsibility, high autonomy, and high accountability role within a fast-paced, iterative environment, where rapid prototyping, early testing, and continuous learning are key to success. You’ll lead hands-on development campaigns to evaluate key technologies, derisk interfaces, and validate performance before full system integration. You’ll also work across internal and external teams to turn concepts into hardware, balancing agility and rigor as you move quickly from analysis to prototypes to flight-ready systems.