Senior Manufacturing Engineer I — Robotics Hardware

Rocket Lab; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 158,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Subsidized EV charging

Onsite fitness centers

Gym memberships discount

Snacks and beverages

Merch discount

Employee discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab Robotics in Pasadena, CA is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer I to lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes for robotics hardware. You will translate designs into efficient, repeatable production processes and collaborate with design, quality, and supply chain teams.

You will own build procedures, tooling, and documentation, drive throughput improvements, and manage multiple priorities while maintaining quality and safety.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hardware experience in aerospace/robotics/automation or high‑reliability manufacturing.
• Proficient in reading engineering drawings, blueprints, schematics, and wiring diagrams.
• Familiar with ASME Y14.5 GD&T and inspection methods.
• Strong 3D CAD skills (SolidWorks preferred) and ability to work with assemblies.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute the build, integration, and test of robotics systems, electromechanical assemblies, tooling, fixtures, and related production hardware.
• Review fabrication and assembly documentation for flight and production hardware, providing manufacturability feedback to improve build efficiency.
• Develop concepts of operations, manufacturing plans, and build strategies for robotic mechanisms and automation equipment.
• Design and develop production tooling, fixtures, handling equipment, and test setups that improve safety, quality, throughput, and repeatability.
• Develop build methods to increase throughput and reduce errors, simplifying technician workflows.
• Support robotics integration and production teams in day‑to‑day execution of assembly, inspection, repair/retrofit, integration, and system test procedures.
• Document lessons learned from builds and maintain clear work instructions and travelers.
• Oversee production travelers and manufacturing documentation for traceability and quality compliance.
• Contribute to build procedures; document non‑conformances and translate findings into improvements.
• Maintain planning docs reflecting current hardware configurations and priorities.
• Design and develop tools and hardware to enable robotics processing and testing capabilities.

Skills

5+ years exp

Engineering drawings

GD&T ASME Y14.5

SolidWorks CAD

Manufacturing processes

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

B.S. in industrial/mechanical/aerospace/manufacturing/robotics

Tools

CAM/CNC tools

Job description

Rocket Lab Robotics in Pasadena, CA is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer I to lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes for robotics hardware. You will translate designs into efficient, repeatable production processes and collaborate with design, quality, and supply chain teams.

You will own build procedures, tooling, and documentation, drive throughput improvements, and manage multiple priorities while maintaining quality and safety.