Space Systems Manufacturing Lead

Rocketlab; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company equity

Medical insurance

Dental & vision

Paid vacation

Sick leave

401(k) match

Onsite gym

EV charging discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab in California is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer for Space Systems. You will drive manufacturability, lead factory setup, and push for faster, higher quality production across complex systems.

You will partner with Design Engineering, own production lines, perform root-cause investigations, mentor teams, and deliver scalable manufacturing solutions that support growth and reliability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, or Computer Engineering.
• 5+ years of technical experience in manufacturing, production, or process engineering.
• Hands-on experience solving complex problems in manufacturing systems.
• Ability to manage multiple complex assignments autonomously.
• Ability to coach and mentor teams.
• Strong knowledge of complex manufacturing processes.
• Experience leading teams and managing projects.

Responsibilities

• Prepare feasibility studies and R&D in manufacturing tech.
• Partner with Design Engineering to ensure manufacturability at scale.
• Engineer factories: design, procure, install, validate, test processes.
• Support development builds to accelerate ramp-up.
• Own production lines and improve yield and efficiency.
• Diagnose failures and perform root-cause investigations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve issues.
• Drive process improvements in manufacturing and test.
• Support change management and risk assessment.
• Contribute to business systems improvements for efficiency.

Skills

Manufacturing Engineering

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership

Process optimization

Education

BSc in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, or Computer Engineering

Tools

Design for Manufacture

Root cause analysis

Job description

Rocket Lab in California is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer for Space Systems. You will drive manufacturability, lead factory setup, and push for faster, higher quality production across complex systems.

You will partner with Design Engineering, own production lines, perform root-cause investigations, mentor teams, and deliver scalable manufacturing solutions that support growth and reliability.