Senior Space Sensing Programs Leader (TS/SCI)

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

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grant

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior Program Manager for Space Sensing & Domain Awareness (TS/SCI). You own the technical roadmap for advanced optical payloads, from prototype through flight production, coordinating the team and supplier network to deliver on mission objectives.

You will lead cross-functional teams, manage critical schedules, and drive risk mitigation while shaping proposals and technical narratives with customers. This is a high-ownership role at a premier space company.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, math, science, or other technical discipline.
• 5+ years of aerospace program management experience
• A demonstrated track record of owning a technical program, product, or team end to end and carrying it across the finish line under real pressure, we hire on what you've shipped, not years logged
• Evidence you've moved real hardware and software from prototype toward scalable, flight-ready production
• Understanding of the nuances of EO/IR sensing, optical payloads, or focal plane arrays
• Experience identifying technical, schedule, or supply-chain risk and neutralizing it before it impacts the mission
• Active TS/SCI clearance

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the team that takes EO/IR sensing payloads and optical systems from concept through qualification, scalable production, and flight
• Run multiple active programs at once and make architectural calls with Chief Engineers
• Grow a culture of bold, healthy risk-taking and coach the next generation of leaders
• Manage high-stakes subcontracts and suppliers as strategic partners
• Synchronize cross-functional teams across optics, electronics, software, and data chain
• Serve as primary point of contact for US Government tracking, warning, and surveillance customers and shape proposals and narratives

Skills

Aerospace program management

Technical program ownership

EO/IR sensing

TS/SCI clearance

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Education

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

Tools

Jira

Confluence

ERP

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior Program Manager for Space Sensing & Domain Awareness (TS/SCI). You own the technical roadmap for advanced optical payloads, from prototype through flight production, coordinating the team and supplier network to deliver on mission objectives.

You will lead cross-functional teams, manage critical schedules, and drive risk mitigation while shaping proposals and technical narratives with customers. This is a high-ownership role at a premier space company.