Senior Mechanical Supplier Development Engineer

Rocketlab; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 102,000 - 172,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grant

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Health & dental benefits

Vision coverage

Paid time off & holidays

401(k) with company match

Stock discounts (merch)

Flexible spending accounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior Supplier Development Engineer I/II – Mechanical to own the supply base and industrialize mechanical hardware. You will lead supplier qualification, PPAP readiness, and production ramp while coordinating with design, engineering, procurement, and quality teams for manufacturability and capacity.

You’ll drive DFMs, SPQ/CPK measures, and root-cause analysis to meet program requirements in a fast-paced space environment with equity incentives and

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in a regulated industry (aerospace, medical, automotive, industrial).
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Manufacturing Engineering or related.
• Knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, control plans, MSA, and Cpk/Ppk.
• Experience conducting DFM reviews and translating design intent into manufacturing and quality requirements.
• Ability to read engineering drawings, GD&T (ASME Y14.5), and 3D CAD models.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end supplier industrialization from source selection through ramp.
• Partner with procurement and engineering to evaluate suppliers by capability and capacity.
• Conduct supplier capability assessments during qualification phases.
• Lead Design for Manufacturability reviews with early input from design engineering.
• Own the APQP process and ensure deliverables are met on schedule.
• Drive PPAP submission levels and ensure process capability is demonstrated.
• Lead First Article Inspection activities with internal QA involvement.
• Identify performance gaps and drive supplier improvement plans.
• Lead RCCA for supplier quality issues using structured problem solving.
• Apply lean tools and SPC to drive continuous improvement in the supply base.

Skills

Supplier development

NPI knowledge

PPAP understanding

DFM reviews

GD&T reading

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical/Electrical/Manufacturing Eng

Tools

APQP

PFMEA

Control plans (MSA/GR&R)

CPK/PPK

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior Supplier Development Engineer I/II – Mechanical to own the supply base and industrialize mechanical hardware. You will lead supplier qualification, PPAP readiness, and production ramp while coordinating with design, engineering, procurement, and quality teams for manufacturability and capacity.

You’ll drive DFMs, SPQ/CPK measures, and root-cause analysis to meet program requirements in a fast-paced space environment with equity incentives and