Senior Ground Software Architect - Space Systems

Rocket Lab; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 184,000 - 284,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Purchase Program (15%)

Medical plans (HMO/PPO) and vision/dar

Dental coverage

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA, is seeking a Senior Ground Software Engineer II to lead the development of ground software architectures for space missions. You will define end-to-end architectures, ensuring scalability, reliability, and mission success for internal teams and customers.

The role demands a strong background in web-based systems, 8+ years of experience, and citizenship with security clearances; the company offers a comprehensive benefits package including stock purchase, healthcare,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or other technical discipline.
• 8+ years of relevant work experience in professional software development.
• U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements.

Responsibilities

• Own major parts of architecture and evolve Rocket Lab’s web-based ground software platforms for spacecraft operations.
• Partner with flight software developers, mission operations personnel, and systems engineers to translate mission needs into scalable ground system designs.
• Deploy, configure, and optimize the Rocket Lab Ground Data System for diverse mission profiles.
• Establish robust monitoring, alerting, and reliability frameworks to proactively detect and mitigate issues.
• Provide technical direction and architectural guidance to ensure mission resilience, system integration, and long-term maintainability.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on ground software strategy, risk areas, and emerging technologies.

Skills

Architecting web-based software

Systems thinking

Leadership

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or other technical discipline

Tools

Python

Golang

Rust

Typescript

Angular

PostgreSQL

InfluxDB

Playwright

Kubernetes

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA, is seeking a Senior Ground Software Engineer II to lead the development of ground software architectures for space missions. You will define end-to-end architectures, ensuring scalability, reliability, and mission success for internal teams and customers.

The role demands a strong background in web-based systems, 8+ years of experience, and citizenship with security clearances; the company offers a comprehensive benefits package including stock purchase, healthcare,