Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer II — Secret Clearance Eligible

Rocket Lab USA; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 162,000 - 243,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top-tier medical

Company equity

Medical HSA

Dental & Vision

Vacation & Sick leave

Holidays

401(k) matching

Stock purchase program

EV charging

Onsite gym & snacks

Job summary

Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer II in Long Beach, CA. You will design trajectories for Earth orbiting, lunar, and interplanetary missions and work with cross‑functional teams to validate guidance profiles and ensure mission readiness. The role requires a Secret clearance and U.S.

citizenship. Base pay for CA ranges from $162,000 to $243,000 USD, with a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and retirement options.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Space Systems, or Software Engineering.
• 8+ years of experience in mission design and flight dynamics.
• Active Secret clearance with ability to obtain TS/SCI; U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and analyze launch vehicle and spacecraft trajectories, including ascent, orbit insertion, and orbital maneuvers
• Perform orbital propagation, rendezvous planning, and station-keeping analysis for spacecraft operations
• Support mission design including launch window analysis, delta-V budgets, and contingency planning
• Interface with flight software and GNC teams to validate and optimize guidance profiles
• Generate and deliver trajectory data products and flight dynamics support for mission readiness reviews
• Contribute to development of in-house simulation tools and flight dynamics infrastructure
• Support real-time mission operations including anomaly response and post-launch data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Space Systems, or Software Engineering

Tools

STK

Astrogator

GMAT

Monte

Copernicus

Python

Git

Jira

Job description

Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer II in Long Beach, CA. You will design trajectories for Earth orbiting, lunar, and interplanetary missions and work with cross‑functional teams to validate guidance profiles and ensure mission readiness. The role requires a Secret clearance and U.S.

citizenship. Base pay for CA ranges from $162,000 to $243,000 USD, with a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and retirement options.