Staff Communications Payload Lead Engineer

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics or a related technical field

10+ years of experience in design and delivery of complex electrical systems, ideally with direct hands-on leadership in RF and/or compute heavy projects

Prior experience in full lifecycle of architecture through delivery of a complex multi-disciplinary system

Core technical expertise in architecture or detailed design of electrical systems

Familiarity with core principles of systems engineering and interface management for complex problems

Familiarity with core principles of risk management for complex problems

$188,000

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$251,500 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

accommodations@relativityspace.com

As the Lead Engineer for the Communications Payload within the Interplanetary Sciences Program, you will own the architecture, design, development, testing, and delivery of a complex system that delivers next generation communication and compute capability.

You will be responsible for creating an architecture that meets the functional capability needs while closing all other technical constraints (structural, thermal, power, EMI, etc…). You will be working closely with and technically leading a small team of subject matter experts and responsible engineers on communication systems, high-capability compute, power, and thermal to deliver a fully working system in support of an upcoming science & exploration mission.

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.

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.