Lead, Manufacturing Engineer - Space Systems

InvestedintheMission; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 124,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Employee stock purchase program

Top-tier medical plans (HMO, PPO)

Dental and vision coverage

Paid vacation and sick time

11 paid holidays

401(k) with company match

EV charging subsidies

Onsite fitness centers

Snacks & beverages

Merchandise discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer - Space Systems in California to advance manufacturability, lead production-line improvements, and mentor teams across design, manufacturing, and test functions.

The role emphasizes ownership of production processes, problem solving across complex systems, and driving efficiency while guiding organizational change and capital projects.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of technical experience in Manufacturing, Production, or Process Engineering.
• Proactive problem solving in complex manufacturing systems.
• Ability to manage multiple complex assignments with autonomy.
• Experience coaching and mentoring across teams.
• Deep knowledge of complex manufacturing processes.
• Leadership experience for teams and projects.
• Capital/facilities justification and project management.
• Experience interviewing and hiring for new roles.
• Ability to set team goals and drive continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Prepare feasibility studies and manufacturing technology R&D projects.
• Collaborate with Design Engineering to drive manufacturability at scale.
• Engineer and deliver factory design, procurement, installation, and validation.
• Support development builds to accelerate ramp-up and learnings.
• Own production lines to remove blockers and improve yield.
• Diagnose failures with root cause analysis and risk mitigation.
• Collaborate across functions to resolve complex issues.
• Drive process improvements across manufacturing, test, and integration.
• Contribute to change management and risk assessments.
• Support business systems and processes for efficiency.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

Problem solving

Autonomy

Mentoring

Leadership

Project management

Hiring & onboarding

Process optimization

Performance metrics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or similar

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.

MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing Engineering powers Rocket Lab’s factories from concept to full-scale production. We turn early ideas into manufacturable designs, build and optimize the systems that make them real, and constantly push for faster, better, smarter ways to build. We engineer the factories that build the rockets, boosting quality, cutting cost, and accelerating build rate.

LEAD MANUFACTURING ENGINEER - SPACE SYSTEMS

This role focuses on improving manufacturing processes through feasibility studies, supporting product design for manufacturability, and leading factory setup and optimization. It involves troubleshooting production issues, collaborating with cross-functional teams, driving process improvements, and supporting organizational efficiency through change management and business system enhancements, while also taking on leadership responsibilities to guide teams and initiatives.

WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO:

• Prepare feasibility studies and conduct manufacturing technology Research & Development projects
• Partner with our Design Engineering teams to incorporate Design for Manufacture into our products to ensure robustness and manufacturability at scale
• Engineer and deliver our factories – design, procure, install, validate assembly, test and verification processes
• Support Development builds to uncover early learnings and resolve issues to accelerate the production ramp up
• Take engineering ownership of production lines to remove blockers, improve yield and increase build efficiency
• Triage and diagnose failures, conduct deep technical investigations and determine the right path forward including risk mitigation actions and root cause resolution
• Collaborate with cross functional teams to resolve complex issues
• Drive process improvements across manufacturing, test and integration
• Contribute to change management, assessing risk and impact of design or process changes
• Support business system and process improvements to drive increased organizational effectiveness and efficiency

YOU’LL BRING THESE QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or similar
• 5+ years of technical experience in a Manufacturing, Production, or Process Engineering environment
• Hands-on experience proactively identifying and solving systemic multifaceted problems in complex manufacturing systems
• Ability to effectively deliver multiple complex multifaceted assignments simultaneously with autonomy
• Ability to effectively coach and mentor others to raise the bar across multiple teams
• Detailed technical knowledge in complex manufacturing processes
• Personnel leadership experience
• Capital and facilities justification, project management and implementation
• Perform periodic reviews with direct employees
• Interview and hire candidates to fill new roles
• Create team goals and metrics to drive continuous improvement projects

THESE QUALIFICATIONS WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE:

• Working experience with environmental acceptance/production acceptance testing, such as vibration, shock, thermal, and vacuum
• Understanding of instrumentation, interfaces, and sensors including power supplies, oscilloscopes, serial devices, switch topologies, accelerometers, thermocouples, RTDs, and 4-20mA sensors
• Experience with designing, implementing, and supporting a production line and/or build area
• Experience transitioning products from design to production as a part of cross-functional team in a fast-paced, iterative design environment
• Demonstrated experience with DFMEA, PFMEA methodologies, Fault Tree Analysis, Pareto analysis, root cause and corrective action

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.

Anticipated annual equity grant value is designed around function, level, experience, and other factors; realized value depends on vesting and stock-price performance.

Join one of the world's fastest-growing space companies and own a piece of it. In addition to competitive base pay, you'll receive company stock as part of your total compensation package, giving you a direct stake in our success. As we expand to new launch sites, groundbreaking missions, and global markets, your ownership has the opportunity to grow alongside the company.

Our comprehensive benefits package includes our industry-leading Employee Stock Purchase Program (with a 15% discount on company stock), top-tier medical plans (HMO, PPO, and a zero cost HDHP option with a significant HSA company contribution), dental and vision coverage, paid vacation and sick time, 11 paid holidays, flexible spending and dependent care accounts, paid parental leave, disability and life insurance, and a 401(k) retirement plan with company match.

Additional perks include subsidized EV charging, onsite fitness centers (where available), discounted gym memberships, complimentary snacks and beverages, 50% employee discount on our popular merch store, and a variety of other employee discounts.

Level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Total Compensation (base and equity)

$175,000—$193,000 USD

Base Salary

$124,000—$170,000 USD

WHAT TO EXPECT

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.

Important information:

FOR CANDIDATES SEEKING TO WORK IN US OFFICES ONLY:

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 CANDIDATES SEEKING TO WORK IN 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 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.