Senior Spacecraft Operations Lead — Mission-Critical

Rocket Lab Corporation; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 213,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Top-tier medical plans (HMO/PPO) with

HSA company contribution

Dental and vision coverage

Paid vacation and sick time

11 paid holidays

401(k) with company match

EV charging subsidies

Onsite fitness centers

Merchandise discount

Job summary

Rocket Lab Corporation in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Operations Engineer II with Secret clearance to oversee health, safety, and performance for a growing satellite fleet. You will support commissioning, orbit raising, and routine operations across commercial and government missions, collaborating with design, AIT, flight software, propulsion, and ground software teams.

This on-site role requires extensive software development experience (Python, C/C++, Ruby) and strong

Qualifications

• 8+ years in space mission design, satellite subsystems, or related areas.
• 3+ years leading teams of engineers on spacecraft missions.
• Active U.S. Government Secret Security Clearance.
• Experience in mission operations activities or on-console roles.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical direction and strategy for mission operations.
• Define automation strategies and develop robust software-driven methods.
• Develop flight software sequences and FDIR/telemetry configurations.
• Coordinate ground/software development with other engineering teams and international partners.

Skills

Software development (Python/C/C++)

Mission operations

Spacecraft operations

Team leadership

GNC/FDIR

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

Jira

CI/CD

SIL/HIL Testing

Job description

Rocket Lab Corporation in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Operations Engineer II with Secret clearance to oversee health, safety, and performance for a growing satellite fleet. You will support commissioning, orbit raising, and routine operations across commercial and government missions, collaborating with design, AIT, flight software, propulsion, and ground software teams.

This on-site role requires extensive software development experience (Python, C/C++, Ruby) and strong