Senior Optomechanical Engineer - Spaceflight Hardware Lead

Rocket Lab; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top tier medical HMO/PPO

Company equity

401(k) with company match

Onsite gym

Paid vacation and sick leave

11 paid holidays

Stock purchase program

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Pasadena, CA, is seeking a Senior Optomechanical Engineer I/II to lead mechanical design for optical payloads, sensor assemblies, and precision mechanisms. You will drive designs through concept, analysis, integration, and flight delivery, mentored by senior staff and working across mechanical, electrical, and software teams.

The role requires hands‑on experience with SolidWorks, tolerance analysis, and spaceflight hardware readiness, with an emphasis on manufacturability,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, optical, mechatronics, robotics, or other engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of mechanical engineering experience.
• Experience delivering spaceflight hardware from concept through design, build, integration, environmental test, qualification, and flight delivery.
• Experience designing precision mechanical hardware, opto‑mechanical assemblies, mechanisms, aerospace hardware, sensor assemblies, or electromechanical systems.
• Experience performing or leading structural‑thermal‑optical performance analysis, thermal‑elastic analysis, or equivalent analysis used to verify opto‑mechanical alignment, stability, and performance through launch and flight environments.
• Experience leading component or subsystem designs from concept through build, procurement, integration, test, qualification, and production readiness.
• Experience with SolidWorks CAD modeling, production drawing creation, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and mechanical design documentation.
• Experience designing hardware where alignment, stiffness, thermal stability, vibration response, tolerance stack‑up, and manufacturability are important to system performance.
• Experience using engineering fundamentals, first‑principles hand calculations, tolerance stack‑up analysis, FEA, STOP analysis, inspection data, and test data to make design decisions.
• Hands‑on experience supporting hardware integration, troubleshooting, inspection, test, environmental qualification, or precision alignment activities.

Responsibilities

• Lead assigned opto‑mechanical and precision mechanical design projects, including defining scope, requirements, schedules, technical risks, project milestones, and verification approaches.
• Own opto‑mechanical hardware through its full lifecycle, including design, analysis, review, procurement, vendor coordination, assembly, integration, precision alignment, environmental test, qualification, and flight delivery.
• Partner with electrical, software, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and test teams to identify requirements, perform trade studies, evaluate alternatives, and recommend practical build‑ready mechanical solutions.
• Develop opto‑mechanical hardware for camera systems, optical payloads, sensor assemblies, lens and filter mounts, etc.
• Design precision mechanisms used with optical and sensor systems, including pointing assemblies, adjustable mounts, focus mechanisms, launch locks, limited‑angle actuation systems, motorized stages, gimbals, and alignment tooling.
• Develop tooling, fixtures, and ground support equipment used for assembly, integration, alignment, inspection, test, and production support of opto‑mechanical and electromechanical hardware.
• Define mechanical architectures, interfaces, packaging, tolerance approaches, alignment concepts, and integration plans for opto‑mechanical and electromechanical hardware.
• Design hardware with appropriate attention to stiffness, thermal stability, alignment retention, tolerance stack‑up, vibration environments, contamination control, manufacturability, and ease of assembly and test.
• Perform and support structural, thermal, tolerance, and structural‑thermal‑optical performance analyses to verify that opto‑mechanical hardware meets alignment, stability, and performance requirements.
• Own complex component and subsystem designs and guide design decisions using hand calculations, tolerance analyses, FEA, STOP analysis, prototyping, inspection data, and test results.
• Support integration and test activities, including hardware checkout, precision alignment, environmental testing, qualification testing, troubleshooting, test fixture development, and review of test data.
• Lead design, manufacturing, and test reviews with engineering, production, quality, supply chain, and test stakeholders; document actions and drive closure.
• Create and maintain product definition using SolidWorks, including 3D CAD models, production drawings, interface details, bills of material, assembly documentation, test procedures, work instructions, and supporting design analyses.
• Coordinate vendors, fabricated components, budgets, schedules, and build priorities to support program commitments.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to opto‑mechanical design standards, best practices, design‑for‑manufacture improvements, and lessons learned for Rocket Lab Robotics hardware.

Skills

SolidWorks

Tolerance analysis

STOP analysis

Spaceflight hardware

Precision mechanical design

FEA

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, optical, mechatronics, robotics, or other engineering discipline

Tools

FEA

Job description

Rocket Lab in Pasadena, CA, is seeking a Senior Optomechanical Engineer I/II to lead mechanical design for optical payloads, sensor assemblies, and precision mechanisms. You will drive designs through concept, analysis, integration, and flight delivery, mentored by senior staff and working across mechanical, electrical, and software teams.

The role requires hands‑on experience with SolidWorks, tolerance analysis, and spaceflight hardware readiness, with an emphasis on manufacturability,