Senior Software Systems Engineer II Verified today
About Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab is the end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems. The Space Systems division has enabled more than 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration to national security initiatives, with spacecraft and components for missions to the Moon and Mars.
About Rocket Lab Optical Systems
Rocket Lab Optical Systems solves mission-critical space domain and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance challenges for Department of Defense and Intelligence Community customers. We deliver electro-optical and infrared systems solutions for responsive, scalable sensing across all orbital domains.
The Role
As a Senior Software Systems Engineer II based in Tucson, AZ, you will design, develop, and test space-based electro-optical sensors. You will be responsible for the development and maintenance of technical budgets, requirements definition, test planning and execution, and overall management of the systems engineering process. You will work hands-on with flight software and drive the technical development of Space Systems missions.
What You Will Do
- Design, integrate, and develop software for space-based optical instruments, subsystems, and payloads for airborne and space platforms
- Understand and interpret overall system architecture, deriving and allocating software and firmware requirements to ensure consistency across interfaces and subsystems
- Understand the software and firmware development pipeline from requirements through build, integration, test, and release
- Develop and maintain technical budgets for vehicle performance, software system requirements and verification techniques, simulations and analysis across vehicle functions, and test methods and data analysis
- Provide technical oversight of system software architecture, interfaces, mission assurance, and compliance
- Assist with programs and product management
- Develop interface specifications, CONOPS definition, and other design documents in collaboration with team members
- Support the development and testing of space payloads to be integrated on spacecraft platforms
- Execute software verification test campaigns on the flatsat, development unit, or flight unit, including test setup, dry runs, and formal verification runs
- Verify the correct software build and configuration are under test, confirming the as-tested configuration matches the intended verification
- Support authoring, derivation, and verification of software and firmware requirements, and maintain requirements traceability throughout the development lifecycle
- Participate in technical interchange meetings and represent the organization in project discussions with internal and external stakeholders
- Mentor other engineers on systems engineering, requirements, and verification and validation methodologies
- Support travel or off-site work as needed
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in engineering (software or computer engineering)
- Active security clearance
- 8 or more years of engineering experience in the aerospace industry, with 2 or more years directly supporting software development projects and 1 or more years in project or team leadership
- Strong knowledge of how to interpret organizational, software, and hardware technical documents
- Demonstrable experience in systems software engineering, with a strong focus on developing, testing, and integrating with space or airborne instruments
- Experience with requirements management, workflow, and modeling tools such as JAMA, DOORS, JIRA, or Cameo
- Experience supporting development programs
- U.S. citizenship is required due to program requirements
Nice to Have
- Active TS/SCI clearance
- Master's or PhD in engineering (software or computer engineering)
- EO/IR payload integration experience
- Proficiency in system modeling and analysis tools such as Cameo, MATLAB, Simulink, or equivalent
- Experience with the Software Development Lifecycle from requirements development through systems operations and maintenance
- Knowledge of software interfaces and communications protocols
- Hands-on expertise leading troubleshooting and resolution of system-level issues
- Demonstrated experience working with minimal supervision in complex projects
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams
Working Conditions
This position may require prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, computer work, and occasional exposure to moderate levels of noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.