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Manager, Manufacturing Quality and Materials

Relativity Space · Long Beach, CAtoday
$150k – $224k

BS-level Management / Director roles on Crosslinked list a median of $166k (97 that show pay).

Lead a multidisciplinary team of Manufacturing, Quality and Materials & Process Engineers for aerospace additive manufacturing.

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Worth knowing

Why it is interesting. Work at the frontier of large-scale additive manufacturing for aerospace.

Might not be for you. Requires 7+ years in complex manufacturing and team leadership; not an entry-level or hands-on lab role.

Manages people Senior hires only

Adjacent materials roleExperience with metallic materials, material characterization, mechanical testing, metallurgy, or process qualification

Seniority
Manager
Work
On-site
Type
Full-time
Degree
BS
Experience
7+ yrs
Industry
Aerospace
Role
Management / Director
Benefits
equityannual learning and development stipend

Role details

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 pioneered large-scale additive manufacturing with our Terran 1 rocket, the largest 3D-printed object to fly. Now a distinct business unit within Relativity, Horizon Manufacturing Technologies is advancing next-generation manufacturing for aerospace and beyond. The team operates at the frontier of manufacturing innovation, where creativity meets capability. This is an environment where cutting-edge R&D is put into production, industrializing advanced manufacturing capabilities to solve customer problems.

As member of the Horizon’s Robotics Team, you’ll work alongside welders, data scientists, and material scientists, creating an end-to-end additive manufacturing platform that serves a wide variety of applications. From exploring new materials to unlocking faster print speeds, to designing complex, organic geometries that can’t be built any other way, it’s high-impact work that sets the foundation for the future of advanced manufacturing.

About the Role

Lead a multidisciplinary team of Manufacturing, Quality and Materials & Process Engineers building a culture of technical ownership, systemic problem-solving and accountability for delivering high-quality, conforming products. Ensure the team has the technical capability, clarity, tools and ownership necessary to make sound decisions and successfully execute against product and customer requirements. Lead the development and implementation of robust, end-to-end manufacturing processes that translate customer and engineering requirements into repeatable workflows with appropriate process controls, documentation, inspection, and acceptance criteria.

Ensure manufacturing processes, material performance, and quality controls provide the technical confidence necessary to consistently deliver products that meet customer and quality requirements. Partner across Program Management, Design Engineering, Operations, and other functions to ensure technical decisions support success, on-time product delivery About You: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical field, with 7+ years experience in complex manufacturing environments.

Demonstrated experience leading and developing multidisciplinary engineering teams, with the ability to establish clear ownership, accountability, and technical direction. Strong understanding of manufacturing process development, process control, process capability, qualification, and continuous improvement. Experience translating engineering, customer, and quality requirements into robust, repeatable manufacturing processes that consistently produce conforming hardware. Strong systems-thinking and problem-solving skills, with demonstrated ability to identify systemic issues, reduce process variation, and build scalable solutions rather than relying on reactive problem-solving.

Ability to lead cross-functionally across Manufacturing, Quality, Materials, Design, Operations, and Program teams to drive technical decisions and deliver results. Nice to haves but not required: Experience with additive manufacturing, welding, directed energy deposition, or other advanced manufacturing technologies. Experience with metallic materials, material characterization, mechanical testing, metallurgy, or process qualification. Experience developing manufacturing processes from early technology development through qualification and production.

Experience with statistical process control, process capability analysis, PFMEA, control plans, and other manufacturing risk-management methodologies. 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: $150,000 — $224,000 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.

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Common questions

What is the salary for the Manager, Manufacturing Quality and Materials role at Relativity Space?

The listed annual base salary range is $150K–$224K. This figure is taken from the posting itself.

Does Relativity Space sponsor H-1B visas?

Relativity Space has filed H-1B petitions with the US Department of Labor in past years, but this specific posting does not explicitly mention sponsorship for the Manager, Manufacturing Quality and Materials role. Confirm with the employer before applying if visa support is required.

Where is the Manager, Manufacturing Quality and Materials role at Relativity Space based?

This role is based in Long Beach, CA.

What degree is required for the Manager, Manufacturing Quality and Materials role at Relativity Space?

This role requires a BS.

How many years of experience does this Manager, Manufacturing Quality and Materials role require?

The posting calls for at least 7 years of relevant experience.

What polymers or materials does this Manager, Manufacturing Quality and Materials role work with?

metallic materials.

What techniques or methods are required for this Manager, Manufacturing Quality and Materials role?

material characterization, mechanical testing, metallurgy.