Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer – Systems Lead

Rocketlab

Long Beach (CA)

On-site

USD 132,000 - 220,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Purchase Program

401(k) with company match

Competitive health plans

Job summary

Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer II to lead propulsion development at our Long Beach, CA site. You’ll own system and component-level propulsion work, guiding end-to-end development for civil, commercial, and defense customers.

You’ll apply propulsion modelling, system-level analysis, and risk‑based decisions while mentoring teammates and shaping engineering processes. Competitive total rewards accompany stock program participation and robust benefits.

Qualifications

8+ years of experience in propulsion system development.
Bachelor’s degree in engineering (aerospace, mechanical, mechatronics, or other technical engineering discipline).
Expertise in propulsion system modelling, static and transient analysis, and model validation using test data using software such as Amesim, EcosimPro, Simulink, or Simscape.
Experience with end-to-end development process including gathering requirements, detailed design, qualification, production, and acceptance testing.
Strong grasp of all steps in the Systems Engineering V and risk-based decision making.
Experience working on electric propulsion systems.
U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements.
Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Responsibilities

Own development of new or existing products or systems, acting as technical lead to guide team through end-to-end development process.
Conceptual and detailed performance calculations, systems modelling, analysis, and system designs.
Requirements gathering, definition, and management.
Systems engineering activities and leadership within the team.
Test planning, setup, instrumentation, execution, and data analysis.
Communicate with project stakeholders internal and external to the team.
Technical risk-based decision making to the right/best solution.
Project management, including schedule building and maintenance and prioritization of tasks.
Mentor and coach team members on technical and professional development.
Define and maintain standards of excellence for the team through documentation and training.
Contribute to engineering process development and documentation at Rocket Lab.