Construction Project Director

Rocketlab; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical benefits

HSA plan

Dental

Vision

Paid vacation

Sick leave

Paid holidays

401(k) with match

Stock purchase plan

EV charging stations

Onsite gym

Food and drinks

Employee discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab is seeking a Construction Project Director in California to lead end-to-end construction and facilities programs supporting aerospace manufacturing, test operations, and R&D environments. You will partner across Facilities, Manufacturing, Engineering, EHS, and executive teams to align new facilities and upgrades with growth goals.

You will own multi-year capital plans, provide executive risk assessments, and manage budgets, scheduling, and vendor contracts while ensuring safety and

Qualifications

• 12+ years progressive experience in construction project management.
• 16+ total years of work experience preferred.
• 5+ years leading large-scale industrial or manufacturing construction.
• Experience delivering capital projects $20M–$200M+.
• Strong knowledge of aerospace, defense, or advanced manufacturing environments.
• Expertise in contract negotiation, budgeting, scheduling, and risk management.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end strategy for construction and facilities development across aerospace sites.
• Translate long-range needs into facility roadmaps and multi-year capital plans.
• Provide executive reporting, risk assessments, and recommendations.
• Oversee scoping, budgeting, scheduling, design, procurement, construction, and commissioning.
• Manage multiple projects including high-bay facilities, clean rooms, test stands, labs, and infrastructure.
• Ensure adherence to aerospace‑grade quality, safety, and regulatory standards.
• Own capital budgets, forecasts, and financial controls; evaluate ROI and lifecycle cost.
• Lead bidding, negotiation, and contract management with contractors and vendors.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Engineering, Test Ops, and Supply Chain for throughput and scalability.
• Coordinate with EHS for OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and safety compliance; coordinate permitting.

Skills

Construction PM

Industrial Projects

Capital Delivery

Aerospace exposure

Contract negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Construction Project Director

The Construction Project Director is a senior leadership role responsible for planning, executing, and delivering large-scale construction and facilities projects that support aerospace manufacturing, test operations, R&D environments, and mission‑critical infrastructure.

The Director partners closely with Facilities, Manufacturing, Engineering, EHS, Supply Chain, and Executive Leadership to ensure new facilities, expansions, and infrastructure upgrades align with long‑term operational and production goals.

What You'll Get To Do

Strategic Leadership & Planning

• Lead the end‑to‑end strategy for construction and facilities development across aerospace manufacturing and test sites.
• Translate long‑range operational needs into facility and infrastructure roadmaps.
• Develop multi‑year capital plans and ensure alignment with corporate growth objectives.
• Provide executive‑level reporting, risk assessments, and recommendations.

Project Management & Execution

• Oversee all phases of construction projects, including scoping, budgeting, scheduling, permitting, design, procurement, construction, and commissioning.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects ranging from high‑bay manufacturing facilities to clean rooms, test stands, labs, and specialized aerospace infrastructure.
• Ensure strict adherence to aerospace‑grade quality, safety, and regulatory standards.

Capital Budgeting & Financial Oversight

• Own capital project budgets, forecasts, and financial controls.
• Evaluate ROI, payback, and lifecycle cost impacts for major construction investments.
• Lead contractor bidding, negotiation, and contract management.

Cross‑Functional Partnership

• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Engineering, Test Operations, and Supply Chain to ensure facility designs support production throughput, equipment installation, and future scalability.
• Partner with EHS to ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and aerospace‑specific safety requirements.
• Coordinate with local jurisdictions, permitting agencies, and regulatory bodies.

Vendor, Contractor & Stakeholder Management

• Select, negotiate, and manage general contractors, architects, engineers, and specialty vendors.
• Ensure contractor performance meets cost, schedule, and quality expectations.
• Lead weekly construction reviews, site walks, and executive updates.

Risk, Compliance & Safety

• Identify and mitigate construction risks, schedule delays, cost overruns, and scope changes.
• Ensure all construction activities comply with aerospace industry standards, building codes, and environmental regulations.
• Champion a culture of safety across all job sites.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive experience in construction project management and a bachelors degree or equivalent years of work experience (16+ years of total work experience).
• 5+ years leading large‑scale industrial or manufacturing construction projects.
• Proven experience delivering capital projects $20M–$200M+.
• Strong knowledge of aerospace, defense, or advanced manufacturing environments.
• Expertise in contract negotiation, budgeting, scheduling, and risk management.

This position may require prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, computer work, and occasional exposure to moderate levels of noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.

Compensation & Benefits

Base Pay Range (CA Only): $170,000 — $215,000 USD.

Base salary is just one component. Employees may also receive company equity and a robust benefits package including medical, HMO, PPO, 100% company‑sponsored HSA plan, dental, vision, 3 weeks paid vacation, 5 days sick leave, 11 paid holidays, flexible spending, dependent care savings accounts, paid parental leave, disability insurance, life insurance, 401(k) with match. Other perks include employee stock purchase program, subsidized EV charging stations, onsite gym, food and drinks, and discounts.

Equal Opportunity Statement

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.

Reasonable Accommodation

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for the application/interview process for a job in the United States should contact Giulia Johnson at [e-mail]. This dedicated resource is intended solely to assist job seekers with disabilities whose disability prevents them from being able to apply/interview. Only messages left for this purpose will be considered. A response to your request may take up to two business days.

Important Information For US Offices Only

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including ITAR, Rocket Lab Employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable. Learn more about ITAR.

Important Information For New Zealand Offices Only

For security reasons, background checks will be undertaken prior to any employment offers being made to an applicant. These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that you be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the United States' International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Under these Regulations, you may be ineligible for this role if you do not hold citizenship of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union, or a country that is part of NATO, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality. For more information on these Regulations, read ITAR Regulations.