Senior Spacecraft Ground Operations Engineer

Rocket Lab Corporation

Auckland

On-site

NZD 120,000 - 180,000

Full time

6 days ago

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Job summary

Rocket Lab Corporation in Auckland seeks a Senior Software Engineer to shape ground software for spacecraft missions. You will develop mission-critical systems, from command and data handling to automation and visualization, across LEO to interplanetary scopes.

You will design and build full-stack applications, manage databases and infrastructure, and support live operations. A strong background in Python, TypeScript, and agile practices is essential to drive robust, scalable solutions that

Qualifications

Tertiary qualification in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or similar, plus minimum 5 years of professional experience.
Full-stack development: Python async backend and TypeScript frontend with modern frameworks (Angular/React/Vue).
Database and infrastructure knowledge: RDBMS design, SQL, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), cloud, Linux.
Proven testing focus: unit, integration and end-to-end testing with coverage.
Collaborative leadership: experience with Agile Scrum, leading technical meetings and mentoring junior engineers.

Responsibilities

Develop mission-critical operations software for spacecraft command, data handling, automation, and visualization across missions.
Build full-stack web applications: database design, backend services, front-end interfaces, and machine-to-machine communications.
Support live spacecraft operations with on-call expertise during critical mission phases and ground-based test campaigns.
Architect scalable software solutions that adapt to diverse and complex mission requirements.
Lead technical initiatives: facilitate scrum, code reviews, approve architectures, mentor engineers.