Senior Satellite Production Program Lead

Rocketlab; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 117,000 - 161,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock Purchase Program (ESPP)

Onsite fitness centers

Subsidized EV charging

Discounted merch store

Comprehensive medical plans

Paid vacations and holidays

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Senior Technical Program Manager I to lead high-volume satellite production programs from prototype through full-rate production and flight. You will own rate, yield, unit cost, and strategic program decisions, partnering with Chief Engineers on manufacturability and learning curves.

You will build a culture of bold decision-making, manage key suppliers, and drive cross-functional alignment across manufacturing, supply chain, and test to maintain speed and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, math, science, or other technical discipline.
• 5+ years of program management experience.
• Proven track record owning a technical program end to end under real pressure.
• Experience moving hardware and software from prototype toward high-rate production with quantified gains.
• Understanding takt time, line-of-balance, design-for-manufacturing, and learning-curve economics.
• U.S. citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple high-volume satellite programs from concept through full-rate production and flight.
• Coordinate with Chief Engineers to make architectural tradeoffs for manufacturability and rate-readiness.
• Foster a culture of bold but smart risk-taking and develop future program leaders.
• Manage high-stakes subcontractors and suppliers as strategic partners.
• Synchronize cross-functional teams to clear roadblocks and maintain speed and quality.
• Interface with constellation operators and BD & Strategy on proposals and narratives.

Skills

Program management

Technical leadership

Hardware/software integration

Cost/yield optimization

Design-for-manufacturing

Security clearance eligible

Education

Bachelor's degree in physics, math, science, or other technical discipline

Tools

Jira

Confluence

ERP/MRP

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Senior Technical Program Manager I to lead high-volume satellite production programs from prototype through full-rate production and flight. You will own rate, yield, unit cost, and strategic program decisions, partnering with Chief Engineers on manufacturability and learning curves.

You will build a culture of bold decision-making, manage key suppliers, and drive cross-functional alignment across manufacturing, supply chain, and test to maintain speed and