IT Network Engineer II - Launch

Rocket Lab; Wallops Island (VA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 94,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company stock

Cash incentives

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Medical insurance and dental/vision

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Sick leave

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Rocket Lab, a leading space company, seeks an IT Network Engineer II – Launch to join our on-site team at Wallops, VA. You will deliver day-to-day IT support and advanced networking expertise across a growing launch operations environment.

Responsibilities include resolving complex network issues, guiding reliability and security upgrades, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deploy robust infrastructure. US citizenship is required for ITAR compliance.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in a network-focused technology role and a bachelor’s degree or equivalent years of experience.
• Hands-on deployment experience with networking hardware (routers, switches, firewalls).
• Understanding of networking concepts including network security, architecture design, standards, and troubleshooting tools.
• Experience with Fortinet Firewalls and Juniper/Cisco Switches, enterprise network architecture, VLAN overlays, monitoring tools, and Linux/Windows administration.
• US citizenship is required.

Responsibilities

• Resolve complex technical issues across network infrastructure, systems, and integrations requiring escalated troubleshooting and analysis.
• Deliver subject matter expertise to ensure optimal performance and availability of critical IT systems.
• Drive upgrade and maintenance initiatives focused on reliability, security, and continuous improvement.
• Implement and champion IT infrastructure standards for deployment across Space Systems environments.
• Participate in an on-call rotation supporting 24/7/365 Launch Mission Operations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, deploy, and optimize infrastructure solutions.
• Ensure compliance with Rocket Lab policies and cybersecurity standards.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of environments and support, and enable cost control.

Job description

About Rocket Lab

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.

IT

Rocket Lab’s IT team is responsible for how our global teams access information and run operations across our computer systems, networks, and devices. Our hardworking IT team is a group of flexible problem-solvers working in a fast-paced environment but who also thrive under the challenge of supporting all of our proprietary systems and people, from finance to launch operations.

IT NETWORK ENGINEER II – LAUNCH

Located onsite at our Wallops, VA East Coast Launch Facility, the IT Network Engineer II will deliver day-to-day IT support and advanced technical expertise to Rocket Lab engineers while contributing to infrastructure implementations and projects across the organization. Join our IT team in maintaining the global IT infrastructure that empowers mission success through highly reliable and available systems.

What You’ll Get To Do

• Resolve complex technical issues across network infrastructure, systems, and integrations requiring escalated troubleshooting and analysis
• Deliver subject matter expertise and technical guidance to ensure optimal performance and availability of critical IT systems
• Drive upgrade and maintenance initiatives with a focus on continuous improvement, reliability, and security
• Implement and champion IT infrastructure standards for deployment and management across Space Systems environments
• Participate in an on-call rotation supporting 24/7/365 Launch Mission Operations
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, deploy, and optimize infrastructure solutions that meet organizational needs
• Implement and champion IT infrastructure standards for the deployment and management of Launch environments to ensure:
• Compliance with Rocket Lab Policies
• Compliance with cybersecurity policies, standards, and procedures
• Simplified and consistent environment management practises
• Automated build and maintenance processes
• Improvements to increase reliability of systems
• System High Availability and Disaster Recovery
• Clear and concise reporting on usage, uptime, support levels, etc.
• Comprehensive documentation of environments and support
• Efficient cost control
• Work with a team of world class IT, engineering, and business professionals.

You’ll Bring These Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in a network focused technology role and a bachelor’s degree or equivalent years of experience (6+ Years of work experience)
• Hands-on experience with the deployment of networking hardware (routers, switches, firewalls, etc..)
• Understanding of networking concepts including network security, network architecture design, technical standards and deliverables, troubleshooting tools
• In-depth knowledge of at least one of:
• Fortinet Firewalls and Juniper/Cisco Switches
• Enterprise Network architecture or administration
• Multicasting and Switching (VLAN) overlays
• Network Monitoring tools and Packet capture practices
• Linux/Windows system administration
• US citizenship is required, due to program requirements

These Qualifications Would Be Nice To Have

• Specialist qualifications in area of expertise: Linux, CCNA, AWS, Microsoft, Azure, etc.
• Experience with mass deployment of devices or IaC
• Experience with Puppet, Ansible, or other automation frameworks
• Experience with Python, Shell, Bash, and/or other languages
• Experience with Promethius, Grafana, InfluxDB
• Advanced problem solving and analytical skills – able to see the big picture, make connections and appropriate decisions.

Salary and Benefits

The expected salary range for the position is displayed in accordance with the state of Virginia’s pay transparency requirements. Final agreed upon compensation is based upon individual qualifications and experience. Base salary is only one part of Rocket Lab’s compensation package for this role. You may be eligible for company stock, or cash incentives, and can purchase discounted stock through Rocket Lab’s Employee Stock Purchase Program. Employee benefits also include medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage; 401(k) retirement plan options; paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave; paid parental leave; and other discounts and perks.

Base Pay Range (VA Only): $75,200 USD - $94,000 USD

Important Information

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Rocket Lab Employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, 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 here.

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.

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.

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, click here ITAR Regulations.