Senior ML Engineer II: Space Optics & Computer Vision

Rocket Lab USA; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 138,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation, holidays, and sick time

Paid parental leave

Stock purchase program

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer II for its Optical Systems division in Chantilly, VA. Lead development of deep learning models for EO/IR image processing, build ML pipelines, and collaborate across AI/CV teams to deliver mission-ready solutions.

Required are 8+ years in ML/CS, strong Python and DL framework experience (TensorFlow/PyTorch/Keras), and the ability to obtain U.S. security clearance. Virginian salary ranges apply with stock and incentives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of experience; master's 6+ years or PhD in CS/EE/ME/Physics or related field.
• Strong background in ML including model selection, training, validation, testing, and deployment.
• Experience with deep learning for computer vision, image processing, or video analysis (object detection, segmentation, tracking).
• Proficiency in Python and deep learning libraries (Keras, TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Software engineering fundamentals: version control, testing, CI/CD, containerization.
• U.S. citizenship required due to program requirements and ability to obtain security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Develop ML solutions for real-world space systems applications.
• Design, train, and deploy ML models for Optical Systems.
• Build ML pipelines for data ingestion, training and inference.
• Collaborate with researchers/engineers on AI, ML, and computer vision.
• Prototype rapidly for integration into operational systems.
• Troubleshoot and maintain existing and new systems.

Skills

Machine learning

Deep learning

Python

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Keras

Computer vision

Mathematics

CI/CD

Docker

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE/ME/Physics or related field

Master's degree or PhD in related field

Tools

Git

CI/CD

Docker

Containerization

Job description

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer II for its Optical Systems division in Chantilly, VA. Lead development of deep learning models for EO/IR image processing, build ML pipelines, and collaborate across AI/CV teams to deliver mission-ready solutions.

Required are 8+ years in ML/CS, strong Python and DL framework experience (TensorFlow/PyTorch/Keras), and the ability to obtain U.S. security clearance. Virginian salary ranges apply with stock and incentives.