Manager, Production Planning

Relativity

  • Long Beach, CA
  • $143,000-160,000 per year
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 1 month ago
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:At Relativity Space, our Production Control Team plays a mission-critical role in enabling our vision of revolutionizing aerospace manufacturing. This team is responsible for planning and scheduling the entire product lifecycle-from initial components and engine builds to full-stage vehicle integration. What makes our team unique is the depth and extensiveness of our influence across the organization. We work closely with Production, Supply Chain, Program Management, Engineering, and Leadership to ensure that every part, assembly, and milestone is aligned with the bigger picture. Our planners sit at the intersection of strategic execution and tactical problem solving, helping to translate complex technical goals into clear, achievable plans. We thrive in an environment where no two days are the same, and where adaptability, ownership, and curiosity are essential. Whether it's building capacity models from scratch, creating rate-based schedules for a new production line, or driving alignment across multiple hardware owners, this team is empowered to lead and deliver clarity where it's needed most. If you're energized by the idea of scheduling the future of spaceflight, being a core driver of operational readiness, and collaborating with some of the most innovative teams in the industry-then this is the team for you.About the Role:We are seeking a seasoned and dynamic Production Planning Manager to lead our growing Resource & Production Planning team through a period of rapid scale and transformation. This high-impact role will be responsible for architecting and executing scalable planning strategies that align with our production rate goals and long-term manufacturing vision. As we transition from development builds to full-rate rocket manufacturing, this role will be instrumental in establishing structured planning systems, automated solutions, and operational standards that reduce manual effort and drive clarity across the organization. Most importantly, we're looking for a people-first leader who has a proven track record of building and mentoring high-performing planning teams in fast-paced, high-complexity manufacturing environments.
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing Production Planning team, fostering a culture of ownership, agility, and continuous improvement.
  • Define and implement the long-term strategic planning vision to support manufacturing rate scaling, from prototype to full-rate production.
  • Drive the development and automation of planning systems and tools that improve accuracy, reduce manual intervention, and increase visibility across hardware lines.
  • Build and standardize resource planning processes, including capacity modeling, build readiness, and tactical execution controls.
  • Develop and enforce Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and performance metrics that align cross-functional teams toward shared delivery goals.
  • Partner closely with Production, Engineering, Supply Chain, Program Management, and Enterprise Systems teams to ensure integrated and adaptive planning.
  • Own planning accountability for hardware readiness, schedule performance, and resolution of execution gaps.
  • Champion data-driven decision-making, leveraging planning analytics and real-time insights to drive prioritization and mitigate production risks.
About You:
  • 7+ years of experience in production planning, manufacturing operations, or supply chain, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
  • Demonstrated experience building and leading high-performing teams, ideally through a scaling or transformational phase.
  • Proven track record of developing scalable planning systems, automation strategies, and process frameworks in complex manufacturing environments.
  • Expertise with MRP/ERP systems, planning tools (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet), and production scheduling best practices.
  • Strong communication, organizational, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
  • Background in a low-volume, high-complexity environment (aerospace, defense, automotive, or capital equipment). Excellent organizational and communication skills-both written and verbal.
Nice to haves but not required:
  • Previous experience in scaling production from development to high-rate operations.
  • Experience in aerospace or rocket manufacturing, particularly scaling from development to production-rate hardware.
  • Familiarity with capacity planning, line balancing, and throughput optimization.
  • Proficiency in analytics or reporting tools (e.g., Excel, Power BI, Tableau, SQL) - Lean, Six Sigma, or similar continuous improvement certification.
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 visitHiring Range:$143,000—$160,000 USDWe 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.

Relativity