Senior Space Systems Program Lead

Rocket Lab USA; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top-tier medical benefits (HMO/PPO)

Company-sponsored HSA

Dental and vision coverage

Paid time off (3 weeks)

Sick leave (5 days)

11 paid holidays

401(k) with company match

Employee stock purchase program

Onsite gym

EV charging subsidies

Food and drinks

Other discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager I for flat satellite production at our Long Beach headquarters. You will own high-volume programs from prototype to full-rate production, directing cross-functional teams and shaping the technical roadmap for rapid, reliable satellites.

You'll guide manufacturing, supply chain, and engineering to hit rate, yield, and cost targets while partnering with customers and leadership on proposals and technical narratives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in physics, math, science, or other technical discipline.
• 5+ years of program management experience.
• Evidence you've moved real hardware and software from prototype toward high-rate production, with quantified yield, throughput, and cost gains.
• Understanding takt time, line-of-balance, design-for-manufacturing, and learning-curve economics.
• Experience identifying tooling, supply-chain, or yield risk and neutralizing it before it slows the line.
• U.S. citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Command the Lifecycle: Build and lead the team that takes satellites at high volume from a 'blank sheet' concept through qualification, full-rate production, and flight, and own the technical roadmap that grows the team's core capabilities.
• Lead the Team of Teams: Run multiple active programs at once, make sound architectural calls with Chief Engineers, navigate trade-offs in design-for-manufacturing, takt time, line-of-balance, and rate-readiness versus reliability.
• Build the Bench: Grow a culture where strong people take smart risks and the best idea wins, we back bold calls and coach and develop the next generation of program and team leaders.
• Forge the Supply Chain: Manage high-stakes subcontracts and suppliers as strategic partners essential to the mission, protecting schedule and margin.
• Unblock Excellence: Synchronize cross-functional teams across manufacturing, supply chain, integration, and test and clear roadblocks quickly so the team keeps moving at speed and quality stays high.
• Influence the Future: Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned commercial constellation operators, and partner with BD & Strategy on proposals and technical narratives that define the next generation of constellation production.

Skills

Program management

End-to-end ownership

Hardware & software integration

Takt time / line-of-balance

Risk mitigation (tooling/supply)

Security clearance readiness

Education

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

Tools

Jira

Confluence

ERP/MRP

Job description

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager I for flat satellite production at our Long Beach headquarters. You will own high-volume programs from prototype to full-rate production, directing cross-functional teams and shaping the technical roadmap for rapid, reliable satellites.

You'll guide manufacturing, supply chain, and engineering to hit rate, yield, and cost targets while partnering with customers and leadership on proposals and technical narratives.