Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer II — Space Trajectory

rocketlab; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Industry-leading benefits package

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer II with an active Secret clearance to join our Space Systems team. You will design and analyze trajectories for Earth-orbiting, lunar, and interplanetary missions, collaborating with multi-discipline engineers to ensure mission success.

Qualifications include a Bachelor's in aerospace/ mechanical/ space systems or related field, 8+ years in mission design, and proficiency in Python, STK, GMAT, and modern tooling. U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Space Systems, or Software Engineering, or an equivalent Engineering or Applied Physics degree.
• 8+ years of experience in mission design, flight dynamics.
• Understanding of orbital mechanics and orbit determination theory.
• Experience with STK, Astrogator, GMAT, Monte, Copernicus, or equivalent.
• Python development.
• Git version control, or an equivalent version control system.
• Jira software project management or equivalent.
• Active Secret clearance, with ability to obtain TS/SCI.
• U.S. citizenship is 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

Skills

Python

Flight dynamics

Education

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

Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering or related field

Tools

Git

Jira

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer II with an active Secret clearance to join our Space Systems team. You will design and analyze trajectories for Earth-orbiting, lunar, and interplanetary missions, collaborating with multi-discipline engineers to ensure mission success.

Qualifications include a Bachelor's in aerospace/ mechanical/ space systems or related field, 8+ years in mission design, and proficiency in Python, STK, GMAT, and modern tooling. U.S.