Senior TPM: Space Sensing & Domain Awareness (TS/SCI)

Rocketlab; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 134,000 - 201,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Stock purchase plan

Onsite gym

Food and drinks

Paid holidays

Job summary

Rocket Lab seeks a Senior Technical Program Manager for Space Sensing & Domain Awareness to own the technical roadmap of EO/IR payloads, from prototype through flight qualification to scalable production. You will lead a team across optics, electronics, and software, handling high-stakes partnerships and government telemetry.

You will coordinate with chief engineers, drive risk management, and partner with BD on proposals for national security space programs, all within a fast-paced,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, math, science, or other technical discipline.
• 8+ years of program management experience.
• Evidence of moving hardware/software from prototype to flight-ready production.
• Experience with EO/IR sensing and optical payloads.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple active programs, make architectural calls with Chief Engineers, manage trade-offs in pointing stability and jitter.
• Own the technical roadmap from concept to scalable production and flight qualification.
• Build a culture that supports bold, well-justified risk-taking and develops future program leaders.
• Manage high-stakes subcontracts and suppliers as strategic partners to protect schedule and margin.
• Synchronize cross-functional teams to maintain speed and quality across optics, electronics, software, and data.
• Partner with BD & Strategy on proposals and technical narratives for future space domain awareness.

Skills

EO/IR sensing

Technical program leadership

TS/SCI clearance

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in physics/math/science

Master’s degree in Engineering/Optics (nice to have)

Tools

Jira

Confluence

ERP

Job description

Rocket Lab seeks a Senior Technical Program Manager for Space Sensing & Domain Awareness to own the technical roadmap of EO/IR payloads, from prototype through flight qualification to scalable production. You will lead a team across optics, electronics, and software, handling high-stakes partnerships and government telemetry.

You will coordinate with chief engineers, drive risk management, and partner with BD on proposals for national security space programs, all within a fast-paced,