Trajectory Engineer II — Space Missions

Rocket Lab Corporation; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 161,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grant

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Medical plans

Dental & Vision

Paid vacation

11 paid holidays

401(k) with company match

EV charging subsidies

Onsite gym

Snacks & drinks

Merch discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab, headquartered in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Flight Dynamics Engineer II to design and analyze trajectories for Earth-orbiting, lunar, and interplanetary missions. You’ll collaborate across disciplines to validate guidance, perform rendezvous planning, and deliver data products essential for mission readiness.

This role combines skilled problem solving with hands-on simulation work. The position emphasizes real-time operations support, development of in-house tools, and active security

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Space Systems, or Software Engineering, or an equivalent Engineering or Applied Physics degree.
• 2+ years of experience in mission design, flight dynamics.
• Understanding of orbital mechanics, Orbit determination theory.
• Mission analysis with STK, Astrogator, GMAT, Monte, Copernicus, or equivalent.
• Git version control, or an equivalent version control system.
• Jira software project management or equivalent.
• Active Secret clearance OR ability to obtain and maintain one
• U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements

Responsibilities

• Develop and analyze launch vehicle and spacecraft trajectories, including ascent, orbit insertion, and orbital maneuvers
• Perform orbital propagation, rendezvous planning, and station-keeping analysis for spacecraft operations
• Support mission design including launch window analysis, delta-V budgets, and contingency planning
• Interface with flight software and GNC teams to validate and optimize guidance profiles
• Generate and deliver trajectory data products and flight dynamics support for mission readiness reviews
• Contribute to development of in-house simulation tools and flight dynamics infrastructure
• Support real-time mission operations including anomaly response and post-launch data analysis

Skills

Problem solving under pressure

Team collaboration

Strong communication

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Space Systems, or Software Engineering

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

STK

Astrogator

GMAT

Monte

Copernicus

Git

Jira

Orekit

Job description

Rocket Lab, headquartered in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Flight Dynamics Engineer II to design and analyze trajectories for Earth-orbiting, lunar, and interplanetary missions. You’ll collaborate across disciplines to validate guidance, perform rendezvous planning, and deliver data products essential for mission readiness.

This role combines skilled problem solving with hands-on simulation work. The position emphasizes real-time operations support, development of in-house tools, and active security