Laser Communications Programs Lead — Senior PM II

Rocket Lab USA; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 134,000 - 201,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee stock purchase program

Annual equity grant

Health insurance

Dental and vision

401(k) with company match

Onsite fitness centers

Merchandise discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior Program Manager II for Laser Communications to lead customer-facing terminal programs from award through production, qualification, and on-orbit checkout. You will coordinate with eng, product, and operations to meet schedule, cost, and performance commitments across two continents.

You will drive risk mitigation, manage supplier relationships, and baselining milestones and ITAR obligations while mentoring teams and ensuring exceptional customer

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, or Math required.
• Experience leading complex hardware programs to delivery.
• Proven ability to manage scope, schedule, and cost with multiple stakeholders.
• U.S. Person under ITAR; ability to obtain security clearance preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead terminal programs from award through production and on-orbit checkout.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Production, and Product teams to meet delivery commitments.
• Manage supplier relationships and risk to protect delivery schedule.
• Oversee program lifecycle from startup to closeout across U.S. and European sites.
• Serve as primary customer interface for milestones, acceptance, and pricing discussions.

Skills

Engineering and systems thinking

Customer delivery leadership

Production and ramping hardware

Program management

Risk and schedule management

Cross-functional collaboration

Clearance readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, or Math

Tools

Jira

Confluence

ERP/MRP

Job description

Rocket Lab USA in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior Program Manager II for Laser Communications to lead customer-facing terminal programs from award through production, qualification, and on-orbit checkout. You will coordinate with eng, product, and operations to meet schedule, cost, and performance commitments across two continents.

You will drive risk mitigation, manage supplier relationships, and baselining milestones and ITAR obligations while mentoring teams and ensuring exceptional customer