Principal Program Manager (TS/SCI)

Rocket Lab USA; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Principal Program Manager (TS/SCI) based at our Long Beach, CA headquarters. You will own the technical roadmap and major programmatic decisions for a sensitive next-generation mission platform, translating user needs into concrete milestones and driving flight qualification through production.

This high-ownership role requires immersion in operational realities, coordination with defense partners, and leadership across multi-disciplinary teams to keep critical space

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.

SPACE SYSTEMS

At Rocket Lab, we're not just launching rockets - we're building the future of space. Our Space Systems team builds everything from complete spacecraft and precision payloads to the components and subsystems that allow them to thrive in space, including solar panels, flight software, star trackers, optical systems, separation systems, radios, and more.

Our Space Systems team has enabled more than 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration and in-space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives. The team has built spacecraft, payloads, and components for missions to the Moon and Mars, working with partners including NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force. Whether it's a single high-performance spacecraft, constellation, or vertically integrated components that help missions get to space, our world-class Space Systems team is empowering some of the boldest and most ambitious space missions

PRINCIPAL PROGRAM MANAGER (TS/SCI)

Based at Rocket Lab's global headquarters in Long Beach, CA, you serve as the program authority for one of our most sensitive nextgeneration mission platforms. You own the technical roadmap and all major programmatic decisions-from the first blanksheet prototype through flight qualification and into responsive production. This is a true highownership role: you'll immerse yourself in the operational realities of the warfighter, translate their hardest problems into concrete technical milestones, and become the person the entire program runs on.

WHAT YOU'LL G... etc