Propulsion Systems Engineer I – Spacecraft Components

Rocket Lab Corporation; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 82,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grant

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Rocket Lab, based in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Spacecraft Propulsion Components Engineer I to own propulsion system development and component design. You will work within our Space Systems team on civil, commercial, and defense programs, guiding end-to-end product development and ensuring rigorous testing and documentation.

The role emphasizes CAD design, performance analysis, and cross-team collaboration, with opportunities for mentorship and evolving engineering processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
• Experience in propulsion system development or other high-performance field.
• US citizenship is required, due to program requirements.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own development of propulsion system components, guiding end-to-end development as technical lead.
• Conceptual and detailed CAD designs for propulsion components; perform performance calculations and analysis.
• Review and approve drawings, 3D PMI, reports, and specifications.
• Test planning, setup, instrumentation, execution, and data analysis.
• Communicate with project stakeholders internal and external to the team.
• Make risk-based technical decisions to select the best solution.
• Project management including scheduling, tasking, and status communication to leadership.
• Mentorship and coaching within the team on technical and professional development.
• Define and maintain standards of excellence through documentation, training, and reviews.
• Contribute to engineering process development and Rocket Lab documentation.

Skills

Propulsion system development

US citizenship

Security clearance (ability to obtain)

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's or PhD in engineering

Tools

NX CAD

Teamcenter (PLM)

Windchill

Python

NI hardware equipment

Job description

Rocket Lab, based in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Spacecraft Propulsion Components Engineer I to own propulsion system development and component design. You will work within our Space Systems team on civil, commercial, and defense programs, guiding end-to-end product development and ensuring rigorous testing and documentation.

The role emphasizes CAD design, performance analysis, and cross-team collaboration, with opportunities for mentorship and evolving engineering processes.