Senior Spacecraft Propulsion Engineer — Lead & Secret Clearance

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental & vision benefits

401(k) with company match

Paid vacation & sick leave

Employee stock purchase program

Onsite gym & meal perks

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Propulsion Systems Engineer I with a Secret clearance to own propulsion development for civil, commercial, and defense programs. Based in Long Beach, CA, you will guide end-to-end propulsion work, perform modelling and testing, and mentor teammates while coordinating with stakeholders.

The role requires a strong engineering background, 5+ years in propulsion, and an active security clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering (aerospace, mechanical, mechatronics, or other technical discipline).
• 5+ years propulsion system development or equivalent high-performance field experience.
• Active Secret clearance with TS/SCI eligibility; US citizenship required.
• Experience with end-to-end development: requirements, design, qualification, production, testing.
• Experience with Systems Engineering V model and risk-based decision making.
• Experience with storable propellants and propulsion systems hardware.
• Nice to have: programming in Python and CAD in NX; Jama knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Own development of new or existing propulsion products; act as technical lead.
• Conduct performance calculations, system modelling, analysis, and designs.
• Gather and manage requirements; lead systems engineering activities.
• Plan tests, set up instrumentation, execute and analyze data.
• Communicate with internal and external stakeholders; manage risks.
• Mentor team members and define excellence standards.
• Contribute to engineering process documentation and development.

Skills

Propulsion modelling

Systems engineering

Requirements management

Technical leadership

Risk-based decision making

Test planning & data analysis

Python data manipulation

NX CAD (design work)

GD&T knowledge

Education

Bachelor's in engineering (aerospace/mechanical/mechatronics)

Tools

Amesim

EcosimPro

Simulink

Simscape

Jama

Python

NX

Teamcenter/Windchill

NI data acquisition systems

Job description

Rocket Lab USA is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Propulsion Systems Engineer I with a Secret clearance to own propulsion development for civil, commercial, and defense programs. Based in Long Beach, CA, you will guide end-to-end propulsion work, perform modelling and testing, and mentor teammates while coordinating with stakeholders.

The role requires a strong engineering background, 5+ years in propulsion, and an active security clearance.