Relativity
Staff Robotics Software Engineer - Path Planning
Relativity, Long Beach, California, us, 90899
Staff Robotics Software Engineer - Path Planning
Long Beach, California
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. 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 an environment where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level. Here, you’ll solve problems that haven’t been solved before, help develop a rocket, a factory, and a business from the ground up, 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. It’s a unique moment – early enough to leave your mark on the product, the process, and the culture, yet 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 Relativity Space pioneered large‑scale additive manufacturing with our Terran 1 rocket, the largest 3D‑printed object to fly. Horizon Manufacturing Technologies, a distinct business unit, is advancing next‑generation manufacturing for aerospace and beyond. The team operates at the frontier of manufacturing innovation, bringing cutting‑edge R&D into production, industrializing advanced manufacturing capabilities to solve customer problems. You’ll work alongside welders, robotics engineers, data scientists, and systems engineers at the intersection of hardware and software, creating an end‑to‑end additive manufacturing platform that serves a wide variety of applications. From exploring new materials to unlocking faster print speeds, to designing complex, organic geometries that can’t be built any other way, it’s high‑impact work that sets the foundation for the future of advanced manufacturing.
About the Role The Robotics and Perception Engineering Team is building a novel type of cooperative robotic platform that utilizes our large‑scale additive manufacturing systems. We will invent and innovate new ways for cooperative robots to create structures. As a Staff Advanced Robotics Engineer – Path Planning, you will play a key role in the development and integration of robotics software and hardware for this platform. You will implement path‑planning algorithms using perception data to generate next‑generation additive manufacturing routes with autonomous robots, robotic arms, and AGVs. You will collaborate with cross‑functional teams to design, implement, and test innovative solutions that push the boundaries of robotics and additive technologies.
About You
BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
Experience in robotics software development, particularly in C++ and embedded environments
Experience utilizing and analyzing perception data—including point clouds and meshes—and applying computer vision algorithms
Ability to plan robotics motion paths using real‑world and simulated data in various reference frames
Experience with robotics kinematics, motion control, and multi‑robot coordination, as well as debugging and troubleshooting software and hardware issues in complex robotic systems
Knowledge of robotics middleware and frameworks such as ROS (Robot Operating System)
Nice to Haves (but not required)
7+ years of experience with industrial robot manipulators (KUKA, ABB, Universal Robots, etc.)
Ability to interface with and program these robots for various tasks, including manipulation and assembly
Knowledge of robotic weld systems, including programming weld paths, optimizing parameters, and ensuring weld quality
Experience with welding robot integration and coordination
Proficiency in coordinating multiple robotic systems, reference frame systems, and 3D transforms for collaborative tasks
Experience with motion planning, task allocation, and synchronization algorithms for multi‑robot systems
Experience with SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) for robotic navigation
Compensation & Benefits At Relativity Space, we are committed to transparency and fairness in compensation practices. Actual compensation is determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job‑related factors. Compensation is only part of our total rewards package. Relativity offers competitive salary and equity, generous PTO and sick leave, parental leave, an annual learning and development stipend, and more! To view the full list of benefits & perks, please visit our benefits page.
Hiring Range $183,000 – $237,000 USD
Equal Opportunity 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.
Export Compliance As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and certain protected individuals. The person hired will have access to information controlled by ITAR and must either be a “U.S. person” or obtain a federally issued export control license. Please identify your eligibility.
Voluntary Self‑Identification For government reporting purposes we ask candidates to respond to a brief self‑identification survey. Completion is voluntary and will not be used in the hiring process. Any information you provide will be kept confidential.
Voluntary Self‑Identification of Disability We are a federal contractor. The law requires us to gather disability information to meet an equal‑employment‑opportunity goal. If you have a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities, you are eligible for accommodations. See the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs for more information.
Disabilities Included (Examples)
Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
Autoimmune disorders (e.g., lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS)
Blind or low vision
Cancer (past or present)
Cardiovascular or heart disease
Celiac disease
Cerebral palsy
Deaf or serious hearing difficulty
Diabetes
Disfigurement (caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders)
Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
Gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome)
Intellectual or developmental disability
Mental health conditions (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD)
Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
Mobility impairment (benefiting from a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s), or other supports)
Nervous system conditions (e.g., migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis)
Neurodivergence (e.g., ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities)
Partial or complete paralysis
Pulmonary or respiratory conditions (e.g., tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema)
Short stature (dwarfism)
Traumatic brain injury
Public Burden Statement According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to this collection of information unless a valid OMB control number is displayed. This survey should take about five minutes to complete.
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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. 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 an environment where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level. Here, you’ll solve problems that haven’t been solved before, help develop a rocket, a factory, and a business from the ground up, 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. It’s a unique moment – early enough to leave your mark on the product, the process, and the culture, yet 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 Relativity Space pioneered large‑scale additive manufacturing with our Terran 1 rocket, the largest 3D‑printed object to fly. Horizon Manufacturing Technologies, a distinct business unit, is advancing next‑generation manufacturing for aerospace and beyond. The team operates at the frontier of manufacturing innovation, bringing cutting‑edge R&D into production, industrializing advanced manufacturing capabilities to solve customer problems. You’ll work alongside welders, robotics engineers, data scientists, and systems engineers at the intersection of hardware and software, creating an end‑to‑end additive manufacturing platform that serves a wide variety of applications. From exploring new materials to unlocking faster print speeds, to designing complex, organic geometries that can’t be built any other way, it’s high‑impact work that sets the foundation for the future of advanced manufacturing.
About the Role The Robotics and Perception Engineering Team is building a novel type of cooperative robotic platform that utilizes our large‑scale additive manufacturing systems. We will invent and innovate new ways for cooperative robots to create structures. As a Staff Advanced Robotics Engineer – Path Planning, you will play a key role in the development and integration of robotics software and hardware for this platform. You will implement path‑planning algorithms using perception data to generate next‑generation additive manufacturing routes with autonomous robots, robotic arms, and AGVs. You will collaborate with cross‑functional teams to design, implement, and test innovative solutions that push the boundaries of robotics and additive technologies.
About You
BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
Experience in robotics software development, particularly in C++ and embedded environments
Experience utilizing and analyzing perception data—including point clouds and meshes—and applying computer vision algorithms
Ability to plan robotics motion paths using real‑world and simulated data in various reference frames
Experience with robotics kinematics, motion control, and multi‑robot coordination, as well as debugging and troubleshooting software and hardware issues in complex robotic systems
Knowledge of robotics middleware and frameworks such as ROS (Robot Operating System)
Nice to Haves (but not required)
7+ years of experience with industrial robot manipulators (KUKA, ABB, Universal Robots, etc.)
Ability to interface with and program these robots for various tasks, including manipulation and assembly
Knowledge of robotic weld systems, including programming weld paths, optimizing parameters, and ensuring weld quality
Experience with welding robot integration and coordination
Proficiency in coordinating multiple robotic systems, reference frame systems, and 3D transforms for collaborative tasks
Experience with motion planning, task allocation, and synchronization algorithms for multi‑robot systems
Experience with SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) for robotic navigation
Compensation & Benefits At Relativity Space, we are committed to transparency and fairness in compensation practices. Actual compensation is determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job‑related factors. Compensation is only part of our total rewards package. Relativity offers competitive salary and equity, generous PTO and sick leave, parental leave, an annual learning and development stipend, and more! To view the full list of benefits & perks, please visit our benefits page.
Hiring Range $183,000 – $237,000 USD
Equal Opportunity 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.
Export Compliance As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and certain protected individuals. The person hired will have access to information controlled by ITAR and must either be a “U.S. person” or obtain a federally issued export control license. Please identify your eligibility.
Voluntary Self‑Identification For government reporting purposes we ask candidates to respond to a brief self‑identification survey. Completion is voluntary and will not be used in the hiring process. Any information you provide will be kept confidential.
Voluntary Self‑Identification of Disability We are a federal contractor. The law requires us to gather disability information to meet an equal‑employment‑opportunity goal. If you have a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities, you are eligible for accommodations. See the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs for more information.
Disabilities Included (Examples)
Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
Autoimmune disorders (e.g., lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS)
Blind or low vision
Cancer (past or present)
Cardiovascular or heart disease
Celiac disease
Cerebral palsy
Deaf or serious hearing difficulty
Diabetes
Disfigurement (caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders)
Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
Gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome)
Intellectual or developmental disability
Mental health conditions (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD)
Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
Mobility impairment (benefiting from a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s), or other supports)
Nervous system conditions (e.g., migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis)
Neurodivergence (e.g., ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities)
Partial or complete paralysis
Pulmonary or respiratory conditions (e.g., tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema)
Short stature (dwarfism)
Traumatic brain injury
Public Burden Statement According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to this collection of information unless a valid OMB control number is displayed. This survey should take about five minutes to complete.
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