Lead Optomechanical Engineer, Space Payloads

Rocket Lab Corp.; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental coverage

Paid vacation and holidays

Company equity / stock options

Onsite gym

Job summary

Rocket Lab Robotics in Pasadena, CA is seeking a Senior Optomechanical Engineer I/II to lead opto-mechanical and precision mechanical design for optical payloads and camera systems. You will translate program needs into robust, flight-ready architectures and manage milestones from design through flight delivery.

The role requires hands-on experience, SolidWorks, tolerance analysis, and spaceflight hardware delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, aerospace, optical, mechatronics, robotics, or other engineering discipline.
• Hands-on experience delivering spaceflight hardware from concept through flight.
• Experience with precision mechanical hardware and opto-mechanical assemblies.

Responsibilities

• Lead opto-mechanical and precision mechanical design projects with scope, requirements, schedules, risks, milestones, and verification.
• Own opto-mechanical hardware through full lifecycle from design to flight delivery.
• Collaborate with electrical, software, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and test teams to define requirements and propose practical solutions.
• Design hardware with attention to stiffness, thermal stability, alignment retention, and manufacturability.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to design standards and best practices.

Skills

SolidWorks

Tolerance analysis

Spaceflight hardware

First-principles calculations

Hands-on hardware integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical/aerospace/optical/mechatronics/robotics

Master's or PhD (nice to have)

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Rocket Lab Robotics in Pasadena, CA is seeking a Senior Optomechanical Engineer I/II to lead opto-mechanical and precision mechanical design for optical payloads and camera systems. You will translate program needs into robust, flight-ready architectures and manage milestones from design through flight delivery.

The role requires hands-on experience, SolidWorks, tolerance analysis, and spaceflight hardware delivery.