Senior RF Systems Program Lead – Aerospace

Rocket Lab Corporation; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 153,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company stock

Employee Stock Purchase Program (15%)

Medical plans (top-tier)

Dental and vision coverage

401(k) with company match

Paid vacation & holidays

Onsite facilities & discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab Corporation in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior Program Manager II for Advanced RF Systems. You will own the technical roadmap from prototype to high-rate production, coordinating with Chief Engineers and cross-functional teams to deliver RF payloads, transponders, SAR, and communications systems.

You’ll lead multiple programs, drive risk mitigation, manage key suppliers, and engage national security and commercial customers to shape next-generation RF systems and payloads.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, math, science, or other technical discipline.
• 8+ years of aerospace program management experience.
• Proven track record of owning a technical program end to end under pressure.
• Experience moving hardware and software from prototype to flight-ready production.
• Understanding of transponders, SAR, or advanced communication systems.
• Experience identifying technical, schedule, or supply-chain risk and neutralizing it.

Responsibilities

• Lead lifecycle from concept through qualification, production and flight.
• Make architectural calls with Chief Engineers on phased arrays and DSP.
• Build a high-performance program culture and develop future leaders.
• Manage high-stakes subcontracts and suppliers as strategic partners.
• Synchronize cross-functional teams across hardware, software, and spectrum management.
• Serve as primary point of contact for National Security, civil, and commercial customers.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Risk management

System-level thinking

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in physics/math/science

Master’s degree in Engineering (nice to have)

Tools

Jira

Confluence

ERP

Job description

Rocket Lab Corporation in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior Program Manager II for Advanced RF Systems. You will own the technical roadmap from prototype to high-rate production, coordinating with Chief Engineers and cross-functional teams to deliver RF payloads, transponders, SAR, and communications systems.

You’ll lead multiple programs, drive risk mitigation, manage key suppliers, and engage national security and commercial customers to shape next-generation RF systems and payloads.