Senior Material Characterization Technician Machine Shop positions focus on delivering results in their domain. This page aggregates open Senior Material Characterization Technician Machine Shop roles and what employers typically expect.
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 Materials and NDE (Non-Destructive Evaluation) team plays a central role in enabling Terran R to fly, re-fly, and scale: developing, characterizing, and inspecting materials and processes across all parts of the vehicle. From welding and additive manufacturing to advanced composites, the team works at the intersection of innovation and execution, balancing performance and reliability with cost, quality, and schedule. As we move toward first flight and beyond, the challenges become more exciting, offering opportunities to shape how we design and develop for re-use. With ownership across products, systems, and disciplines, engineers gain broad exposure and drive key decisions across design, manufacturing, and operations. This is a second-shift position with a standard schedule of Monday through Friday, 2:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. PT. About the Role: Set up and operate CNC mills and lathes, performing first article inspections including programming, setups, dry runs, and program edits for accuracy, to produce precision aerospace metal alloy components and materials test coupons Program and edit G-code and utilize CAD/CAM software to create, modify, and refine CNC programs Design and build custom fixturing to support machining operations, and follow established setup sheets covering fixtures, tooling, and inserts Inspect finished parts and verify dimensions using precision measuring instruments to ensure compliance with engineering specifications and aerospace industry standards Maintain, troubleshoot, and calibrate machining equipment, and communicate effectively with engineering teams and cross-functional stakeholders to translate project requirements into machining solutions Develop and enforce standardized workflows for machine shop operations, including shift hand-offs and documentation of machining procedures About You: 5+ years of hands-on experience setting up and operating CNC mills and lathes, including routine maintenance and troubleshooting; wire EDM experience is a plus Proven ability to perform first article inspections, including programming, setups, dry runs, and editing programs for accuracy Ability to design and build custom fixturing and follow setup sheets for fixtures, tooling, and inserts Working knowledge of G-code programming, with the ability to read, understand, and edit existing programs Proficiency with common inspection tools (calipers, micrometers, dial indicators, etc.) to inspect parts and verify dimensions against engineering drawings and specifications Ability to adapt in fast paced environments and interpret engineering drawings, blueprints, and technical specifications Nice to haves but not required: Experience in machine maintenanc…