Software Development Engineer in Test I

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

Relativity Space is on a mission to better connect humanity to space and the universe beyond our planet. With decades of experience scaling world-class technology organizations like Google, CEO Eric Schmidt is guiding Relativity into its next phase: advancing Terran R toward launch and building the foundation for long-term impact.

The Vehicle Software team develops the safety-critical software that runs on Terran R. The work spans a distributed, real-time control system operating under extreme conditions like Mach 5 atmospheric flight, with a deployment pace that allows you to see your code run on rocket engines daily. The team is building new system architecture from the ground up and just as importantly, testing, releasing, and deploying it. You don’t need an aerospace background: what matters is experience with high-reliability software for complex systems. This is a rare opportunity to shape the foundation of Terran R’s software stack while directly influencing performance, reliability, and flight success.

About the Role

As a Software Development Engineer in Test I on the TRADE team, you'll execute well-defined testing and release tasks under the guidance of senior engineers, building the skills to take on greater release ownership over time.

You'll write and maintain Python automation for release workflows, validation steps, and artifact management, starting with smaller, well-scoped scripts and tasks, with mentorship from staff engineers as you grow.

This role is hands-on and detail-oriented. You'll follow established procedures to validate and help publish release candidates, support Run-for-Record campaigns, and coordinate directly with developers, systems engineers, test operators, and integration teams on smaller-scope items, while senior engineers lead broader cross-team alignment.

You will

• Execute assigned testing and release tasks following documented procedures, with review from senior engineers
• Write and maintain Python scripts to automate release validation steps and artifact handling, under mentorship
• Help validate and publish release candidates from multiple software teams (e.g. flight and embedded software), as directed
• Coordinate with developers, systems engineers, test operators, and integration teams on day-to-day release and testing needs
• Support Run-for-Record campaigns, helping prepare environments, capture results, and store test artifacts
• Assist with post-release deployment validation and basic troubleshooting
• Learn and contribute to CI/CD and pre-release testing improvements
• Help organize release documentation and support data reviews as directed

About You

• 0-1 years of professional experience; new grads welcome. Internship, co-op, or academic project experience in software, systems, or test engineering is a plus
• Basic Python scripting ability, from coursework, personal projects, internships, or professional experience
• Basic awareness of CI/CD concepts and workflows (e.g. through coursework or exposure, not necessarily hands-on production experience)
• Eagerness to learn software release and test engineering processes, with willingness to follow established procedures closely
• Strong attention to detail and documentation habits
• Good communication skills and ability to work well with guidance from senior team members
• Comfort working under deadlines while still being precise and thorough

Nice to haves but not required

• Exposure to aerospace, launch vehicle, or other high-reliability/safety-critical systems (coursework, internship, or personal projects count)
• Familiarity with Conda, GitLab CI/CD, Git/version control practices, or artifact repositories
• Exposure to hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing, simulation environments, or systems integration
• Interest in or early experience with data analysis, root cause investigation, or quality/release audits
• Coursework or interest in electrical, systems, or software engineering as applied to physical/hardware systems (not just mobile/cloud-only software)

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:

$102,000—$154,000 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.