Flight Software Engineer I

JobSpace; Auckland; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Auckland is seeking an Electron Flight Software engineer to create, maintain and support software for the Electron rocket and ground systems.

You'll develop software and unit tests, produce operation documentation, review code, and participate in architecture discussions across avionics, flight software, and ground segments. Strong collaboration with engineers across disciplines and ability to work under tight deadlines is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in software/engineering or demonstrated equivalent.
• Minimum 2 years in software engineering.
• Experience with high‑reliability software systems is a plus.
• Familiarity with Linux is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain flight software for Electron rocket and ground systems.
• Create unit tests and document software operations.
• Review flight code merge requests and participate in architecture meetings.
• Maintain tickets and manage trade-studies.
• Deliver software deployments and training.

Skills

Flight Software

Software Development

Documentation

Stakeholder meetings

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 16th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Rocket Lab is the end‑to‑end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems that keep the world connected, protected, expand humanity's reach to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. We move fast, build real hardware for meaningful missions, and make the impossible routine. Come shape the future with us.

Engineering is at the heart of Rocket Lab. Our engineering team has a proven track record of designing and developing world‑class rockets and spacecraft that are changing the way we access and use space. You'll work alongside driven, talented engineers from varied backgrounds and experience levels, all committed to the same mission. Our engineering team members span design, analysis, prototyping, testing, manufacturing, assembly and integration, quality control, engineering documentation, and more.

Electron flight software provides critical support to vehicle systems through launch and on orbit, operating rocket and spacecraft avionics, collecting and distributing telemetry and commands, and hosting guidance, navigation and control software. Flight software is used through the full lifecycle of the Electron rocket, from production to launch.

An Electron Flight Software engineer will be responsible for creation, maintenance and support of software on both the Electron rocket and associated ground‑based communication systems.

What You'll Get To Do:

• Flight Software
  • Launch Vehicle Avionics Embedded Computers
  • Ground Segment Communications
  • Avionics simulations (including Hardware-in-the-loop)
• Software Development
  • Develop software and unit tests according to bug‑fix and feature requests
  • Develop documentation for operation of software products
  • Participate in review of flight code merge requests
  • Facilitate software architecture meetings
  • Approve software architecture designs
  • Keep tickets up to date regarding work in progress
  • Manage trade‑studies
  • Approve Software Requirements
  • Facilitate stakeholder meetings
  • Deliver training on use of software products
  • Deploy operational software

You’ll Bring These Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or demonstrated equivalent level of knowledge.
• Minimum of 2 years experience within a software engineering related discipline

These Qualifications Would Be Nice To Have:

• Experience with high‑reliability software systems.
• Experience with networking.
• Radio communications and related technologies such as SDR, encoding schemes.
• Embedded software development fundamentals.
• Experience developing within Linux systems.
• Data processing and analysis.

We’re on a mission to unlock the potential of space to improve life on Earth, but that’s not an easy task. It takes hard work, determination, relentless innovation, teamwork, grit, and an unwavering commitment to achieving what others often deem impossible. Our people out‑think, out‑work, and out‑pace. We pride ourselves on having each other’s backs, checking our egos at the door, and rolling up our sleeves on all tasks big and small. We thrive under pressure, work to tight deadlines, and our focus is always on how we can deliver, rather than dwelling on the challenges that stand in the way.

Rocket Lab provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment at Rocket Lab, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.