Sr Instrumentation and Controls Engineer
Relativity Space is hiring a Sr Instrumentation and Controls Engineer. Level rates it ; you can apply on Relativity Space.
Level's read on this job
- Little AI ●○○○ is how Level rates this role: aI is not part of the work.
- The posting mentions instrumentation, control systems and propulsion testing among its tools and skills.
- Level classes it as a senior role.
- Relativity Space has 406 other open roles on Level.
- Posted within the past two weeks.
AI in this role
Lead design and commissioning of instrumentation and control systems for rocket propulsion testing.
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 Stennis Test team designs, builds, and operates Relativity’s propulsion and stage test stands. Team members are hands-on with large-scale, complex systems including fully integrated engines and stage assemblies, pushing hardware to the limits and directly contributing to flight readiness. The work is fast-paced and highly operational, ideal for those with backgrounds in aviation, automotive, manufacturing, offshore operations, industrial systems, construction, or adjacent industries. You’ll work in a close-knit, dynamic environment where collaboration between technicians, operators, and engineers is not only encouraged, but expected. As the company scales, the Stennis Test team becomes even more critical to unlocking our next phase of growth: proving out full-stage systems and paving the way for routine, reliable flights of Terran R.
About the Role:
As a Senior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer (Data & Control Systems Engineer), you will lead the design, development, integration, and commissioning of instrumentation and control systems at our Stennis test facility. You will develop reliable, maintainable systems designed for safe operation by engineers and technicians with varying levels of electrical and controls experience. For complex applications, you will develop solutions from initial concept and design through implementation, testing, commissioning, and operator training.
You will work directly with technicians to build, troubleshoot, test, and validate systems, applying engineering principles to resolve technical issues and verify system performance. You will also provide technical guidance to other engineers, contribute to the development of engineering standards and best practices, and ensure systems are documented to support safe operation, troubleshooting, and long-term maintenance.
Projects will vary in scope and complexity, from individual instrumentation installations to large electrical control cabinets and facility-wide systems. Equipment and systems may include:
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Instrumentation and measurement systems
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Industrial sensors, valve controls, and actuators
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AC/DC power distribution systems
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Wiring harnesses and electrical interconnects
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Motor and pump control systems
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Gas detection and safety monitoring systems
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Electrical protection and grounding systems
About You:
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
- 5+ years of experience developing, activating, and troubleshooting electrical systems. Preferably in a highly cross-functional environment
- Strong electrical engineering fundamental knowledge
- Experience designing and working with high voltage DC electronics
- Demonstrated ability to identify and mitigate risks in complex systems
- No previous aerospace experience is required
Nice to haves but not required:
- Familiarity with data and control systems (SCADA, PLC’s, NI, Beckhoff, etc.)
- Familiar with integrating industrial devices such as pressure transducers, RTDs, strain gauges, thermocouples, solenoid valves, accelerometers, microphones, etc.
- Familiar with communications methods such as Ethernet, EtherCAT, CAN, and Modbus.
- Experience using AutoCAD Electrical or Zuken
Successful candidates must clear a background check administered by the US government to obtain clearance for on-site work at our government partner location in Stennis, Mississippi.
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.
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.
How we rate this
Sr Instrumentation and Controls Engineer at Relativity Space rates 0 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Little AI. AI is not part of the work.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where instrumentation was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where control systems was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where propulsion testing was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where hardware testing was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where aerospace was part of your work. What did you do?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Instrumentation, Control Systems, Propulsion Testing, Hardware Testing, and Aerospace. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
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