Lead, Robotics Software Engineering

Company Overview:

At Relativity Space, we have two audacious goals: to build the next great commercial launch company with Terran R and to become America's leading force in additive manufacturing innovation. Both contribute to our long-term vision of creating humanity’s industrial base on Mars, paving the way for interplanetary life to expand the possibilities of the human experience. This journey begins right here on Earth – where we design, build, and fly rockets to deliver customer payloads to orbit. Terran R, our medium-to-heavy lift reusable rocket, fulfills the growing demand for launch capacity, thanks to our iterative approach that accelerates design, testing, and development while minimizing costs. While our groundbreaking research and development in 3D printing pushes the boundaries of large-scale additive manufacturing.

Your journey with us is more than just a job – it’s an opportunity to shape the future of aerospace technology, additive manufacturing, and the human experience alongside a community of passionate, creative individuals. Join us on this extraordinary journey, as we work together to transform our vision into reality.

About the Team

The additive technology team leads research and development of Relativity’s Stargate 3D-printing platform and factory operating system to produce large-scale metal structures for the industrial base. The team works with robotics engineers, data scientists, systems engineers, and welders to advance Relativity’s innovative tech stack, which leverages autonomy, advanced simulation, machine learning, and robotics. Working at the intersection of hardware and software, the team is creating a unified platform that can perform additive manufacturing, in-situ monitoring, NDE, and subtraction capabilities in a single print cell. Progressing in parallel to Terran R development, Relativity’s breakthroughs in large-scale additive manufacturing have the potential to revolutionize the defense industrial base.

About the Role

As part of the Robotics Software Engineering team, you will help build out an in-house robotics controls platform to enable the development, instrumentation and operation of our large-scale additive manufacturing systems and pave the way for the continuous invention of new capabilities. We favor performance, simplicity, simulation/testing and reusability, and are building cohesive interfaces with every piece of equipment we use, while also providing a system with which custom robots and additive systems can be built and integrated.

• Spearhead a dynamic team of engineers to develop a unified robotics platform, enhancing the architecture for a high-performance, real-time Linux-based system for robotics and industrial automation.
• Engage in hands-on software development, emphasizing kernel level Linux customization for real-time applications and robotic control algorithms.
• Lead by example, coding alongside your team and taking a hands-on approach to problem-solving and innovation.
• Organize the team's work, ensuring projects are on track and align with strategic goals, while providing mentorship and fostering an environment of growth and development.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including hardware engineers and system integrators, to achieve seamless software-hardware integration and rigorous testing protocols.
• Champion safety and code quality, implementing best practices and ensuring compliance with industry standards. Share knowledge through comprehensive documentation and technical presentations
• Drive technical excellence, offering guidance and mentorship to team members, enhancing their skills and aligning opportunities with their career aspirations.

About You

• BS or MS in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field.
• Prior experience leading engineering teams working on complex software development and integration projects.
• You have 5+ years of experience in hands-on software development, with expertise in Linux kernel, C/C++, and embedded environments.
• Your experience includes networking with fieldbus protocols (EtherCAT, Profinet, CANbus, Ethernet/IP) and a solid understanding of robotics kinematics and motion control.
• You're proficient in the Robot Operating System (ROS2) and have experience integrating sensors and computer vision into automated systems.
• Demonstrated experience working through software integrations with hardware systems that may lack an API or library
• Understanding of robotics kinematics, 3D transformations, quaternions and linear algebra
• Experience installing, configuring and using Linux in a complex network environment
• Knowledge of motion control concepts and experience setting up motor drives
• Experience integrating computer vision and sensors into an automation environment

Nice to haves but not required:

• Experience with industrial robot manipulators (KUKA, ABB, UR, etc)
• Experience developing in TwinCAT environment
• Understanding of TwinSAFE safety development
• Experience developing with Acontis EtherCAT library or similar
• Industry certification and/or experience with functional safety for machinery
• Experience with robotic weld systems

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.

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:

$160,000—$205,000 USD