Head of Avionics Manufacturing
Relativity Space· Aerospace & Defense· Sep 28, 2026 · 1mo ago
Long Beach, California, United States
In office
Full-time
Head
$200K–$263K est.
5+ years exp
Job description
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 Avionics Manufacturing organization builds and tests the electronic systems that power, control, and connect every aspect of Terran R — from flight computers and sensors to wiring and integrated avionics assemblies. As we push toward first flight and beyond, this team sits at the intersection of hardware, software, and operations, and is transitioning from development into full-rate production while raising the bar on reliability, cycle time, and cross-program alignment.
About the Role
We're looking for a senior leader to own the strategy, organization, and delivery of avionics manufacturing across the Terran R program. This is a step beyond running a production floor — you'll define the multi-year manufacturing strategy for avionics hardware, build and lead an organization of manufacturing leaders (not just individual contributors), and be a primary voice in company-level conversations about production readiness, capacity, and risk.
You'll partner directly with executive leadership across Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Program Management to ensure avionics manufacturing scales in step with the broader vehicle program — and you'll be accountable for translating factory-floor reality into the kind of forward-looking, risk-adjusted narrative that shapes company-level decisions.
What You'll Own
Strategy & Organization
Set the multi-year strategy for avionics manufacturing — capacity planning, make/buy decisions, automation roadmap, and organizational design — in direct partnership with VP/executive stakeholders
Build, lead, and develop a multi-layered organization of manufacturing leaders spanning manufacturing engineering, functional/environmental test, and production operations
Represent avionics manufacturing in company-wide program reviews, translating production data into risk exposure, timeline confidence, and resourcing recommendations for executive audiences
Delivery
Own the end-to-end manufacturing and test roadmap for all avionics hardware — from process development and test infrastructure through full-rate production and vehicle integration readiness
Drive the transition from development to high-rate production while improving reliability, reducing cycle time, and holding the line on yield and quality targets
Set and hold your organization accountable to schedule, yield, and quality commitments, using data to surface risk early rather than after it becomes a program-level problem
Cross-Functional Leadership
Drive alignment across design engineering, test engineering, systems engineering, vehicle integration, supply chain, and quality to ensure avionics hardware is manufacturable, testable, and deliverable at rate
Champion automation, digital production tooling, and lean practices as strategic levers — not just floor-level fixes — to improve throughput and ensure traceability and compliance at scale
Build the muscle for proactive escalation: surfacing anomalies and risks to leadership before they cascade, not after
About You
5 + years in progressive leadership roles — ideally with experience leading other manufacturing leaders/managers, not just individual contributors
Proven track record owning complex electro-mechanical manufacturing and test operations at the organizational level — PCBAs, wire harnesses, integrated avionics units
Demonstrated ability to operate at both altitudes: fluent enough in electronics manufacturing process (PCB assembly, conformal coating, potting, ESD protocols, wire harness fabrication) to make good calls fast, and strategic enough to set multi-year direction and influence executive decisions
Experience building and scaling a manufacturing organization through a volume ramp — from development-rate to high-rate production
A track record of leading through ambiguity and aggressive, shifting timelines, and communicating that reality clearly to executive stakeholders
Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field
Nice to Have
Experience with spaceflight avionics testing and standards (SMC-S-016, MIL-STD-810, RCC-319/324 or equivalents)
Familiarity with electronics manufacturing standards (IPC-610, IPC-J-STD-001 Space Addendum, IPC/WHMA-A-620) and PCB line operations
Experience standing up new production or test lines from scratch — equipment selection, layout, staffing, and process validation
Lean/Six Sigma leadership experience applied at the organizational (not just line) level
Experience with high-voltage lithium-ion battery assembly manufacturing
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: $223,000 — $335,000 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 accommodations@relativityspace.com .
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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Pto
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