Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer: Mission Formulation

Rocket Lab; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 158,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company stock

Comprehensive benefits

Employee stock purchase program

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer I – Mission Formulation to lead the mechanical formulation of new satellite systems, including structures, mechanisms, and bus configurations, aligning with civil, national security, and commercial opportunities.

You will manage mass and mechanical budgets, requirements, testing, and verification, while collaborating with business development, strategy, and Space Systems to deliver against internal leadership, board, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
• 5+ years of mechanical engineering experience in aerospace.
• Experience supporting satellite/spacecraft development programs.
• Experience with CAD modeling and drawing.
• U.S. citizenship is required due to program requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead Rocket Lab’s satellite mechanical engineering formulation supporting business development and new opportunity capture.
• Develop high performance and lightweight satellite bus configurations, structures, and mechanisms for our customers.
• Develop concepts and satellite configurations for high value science and interplanetary missions.
• Define what mechanisms and deployment systems look like on a modern satellite system/bus.
• Develop and maintain: Mass and mechanical technical budgets for vehicle performance.
• Mechanical system requirements and verification techniques.
• Structural, mechanism, and packaging analyses across vehicle functions, including hand-calcs and FEA.
• Test methods and data analysis (structural, thermal, vibe).
• Lead and own the mechanical technical development of spacecraft missions from conceptual design through production, test, and operation.
• Create and maintain product definition through CAD, production drawings, and test and operations procedures.
• Assist with program and product management, including development schedules, vendors, and budgets.
• Develop, in collaboration with team members, mechanical interface specifications, CONOPS definition, and other design documents.

Skills

CAD modeling

Satellite engineering

Mechanical design

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer I – Mission Formulation to lead the mechanical formulation of new satellite systems, including structures, mechanisms, and bus configurations, aligning with civil, national security, and commercial opportunities.

You will manage mass and mechanical budgets, requirements, testing, and verification, while collaborating with business development, strategy, and Space Systems to deliver against internal leadership, board, and