Senior HITL Technician: Spacecraft Test Harness Lead

Rocket Lab Corp.; Long Beach, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior HITL Technician I to design, maintain, and operate HITL hardware. You will support leadership with deliverables, risk reviews, and hands-on assembly of high‑reliability harnesses for spacecraft systems.

Responsibilities include building HITL test racks, wiring, and integration, while ensuring strict quality and documentation standards are followed.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant industry experience in harness fabrication, rack assembly, test systems, or similar technical environment.
• Hands-on experience with harness manufacturing, rack assembly, and rack integration.
• Proven ability to contribute to rack layout, equipment arrangement, cable routing, harness integration, and build activities.
• Ability to precisely follow quality inspection and manufacturing work instructions.
• Proficiency in reading, interpreting, and providing feedback on system diagrams, schematics, CAD drawings, ICDs, procedures, and manufacturing documentation.
• Experience performing harness and rack electrical checks, including continuity, pinout, and visual inspection.
• Understanding of standard industry ESD practices.
• Ability to work collaboratively across engineering and technician teams while raising buildability, integration, or test concerns early.
• U.S. citizenship required due to program requirements.

Responsibilities

• Fabricate, assemble, and test high-quality, high-reliability harnessing.
• Build, integrate, and modify HITL test racks, including equipment installation and cable routing.
• Work hands-on with test and flight hardware.
• Collaborate with a cross-disciplinary team to build, set up, maintain, and improve HITL test and simulation systems.
• Contribute to equipment rack layout and arrangement, including feedback on buildability.
• Build, modify, and iterate prototype rack designs with engineering and spacecraft teams.
• Use and redline technical documentation via diagrams, schematics, ICDs, procedures, and test reports.
• Identify and communicate rack and harnessing risks during design, build, and integration activities.

Skills

Harness fabrication

Rack assembly

Test systems

CAD drawings

Schematic interpretation

Quality inspection

Cross-functional collaboration

ESD practices

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior HITL Technician I to design, maintain, and operate HITL hardware. You will support leadership with deliverables, risk reviews, and hands-on assembly of high‑reliability harnesses for spacecraft systems.

Responsibilities include building HITL test racks, wiring, and integration, while ensuring strict quality and documentation standards are followed.