Spacecraft Mechanical Design Manager

Rocket Lab Corporation; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab is seeking a Manager, Spacecraft Mechanical Design based in Long Beach, CA. This hands-on leadership role oversees 6–10 engineers, guiding mechanical development programs for spacecraft structures and mechanisms.

The ideal candidate has a strong mechanical/structural background, proven leadership, and experience delivering hardware from concept to launch in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering; or other engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of engineering experience.
• 1+ years as a team lead, manager, or technical leader.
• US citizenship is required.

Responsibilities

• Perform functional management duties including 1-on-1s, performance reviews, and career development for direct reports.
• Coach and mentor engineers on the team.
• Conduct peer design reviews and review drawings with cross-functional teams.
• Act as an individual contributor on design and development projects when needed.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain, Assembly, Test, Production, and Quality for interfaces and handoffs.
• Collaborate with mechanical, test, and production engineers to drive manufacturability and integration.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring engineers

Peer reviews

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering; or other engineering discipline

Tools

Siemens NX

Teamcenter

CAD

GD&T

Job description

Rocket Lab is seeking a Manager, Spacecraft Mechanical Design based in Long Beach, CA. This hands-on leadership role oversees 6–10 engineers, guiding mechanical development programs for spacecraft structures and mechanisms.

The ideal candidate has a strong mechanical/structural background, proven leadership, and experience delivering hardware from concept to launch in a fast-paced environment.