Propulsion Systems Lead — Spacecraft Components

Rocket Lab USA; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 158,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top-tier medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Paid vacation & sick leave

Stock purchase program

Onsite gym & EV charging

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Propulsion Components Engineer I in Long Beach, CA. You will own propulsion component development, guide cross-functional teams, and lead end-to-end design, analysis, and testing for spaceflight hardware.

The role requires 5+ years in propulsion, strong CAD/PLM experience (NX, Teamcenter/Windchill), and hands-on integration and testing with NI equipment. US citizenship and ability to obtain clearance are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering (aerospace, mechanical, mechatronics, or other technical field).
• 5+ years of propulsion system development experience or equivalent high-performance field.
• Experience with end-to-end development: requirements, detailed design, qualification, production, testing.
• Detailed mechanical design experience using NX (preferred) and PLM tools such as Teamcenter/Windchill.
• Experience auditing design releases and flight hardware qualification reports.

Responsibilities

• Own development of propulsion components and guide team through end-to-end development.
• Create CAD designs for propulsion components and perform performance calculations and analyses.
• Review and approve drawings, PMI, reports, and flight hardware documentation.
• Plan, set up, and execute tests with instrumentation and data analysis.
• Communicate with stakeholders inside and outside the team.

Skills

Propulsion system development

End-to-end development

Flight hardware design reviews

Hands-on integration & testing

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering (aerospace/mechanical/mechatronics)

Tools

NX

Teamcenter

Windchill

NI data acquisition

Job description

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Propulsion Components Engineer I in Long Beach, CA. You will own propulsion component development, guide cross-functional teams, and lead end-to-end design, analysis, and testing for spaceflight hardware.

The role requires 5+ years in propulsion, strong CAD/PLM experience (NX, Teamcenter/Windchill), and hands-on integration and testing with NI equipment. US citizenship and ability to obtain clearance are required.