Senior Spacecraft Propulsion Components Engineer I Verified today
About Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems. Our Space Systems team has enabled more than 1,700 missions for NASA, the Space Development Agency, U.S. Space Force, and commercial partners, including work on lunar and Mars missions.
The Role
As Senior Spacecraft Propulsion Components Engineer I, you will own system-level and component-level development of space systems propulsion and fluidic systems. You will act as technical lead, guiding teams through end-to-end development for civil, commercial, and defense customers.
What You Will Do
- Own development of new or existing propulsion products and systems as technical lead
- Perform conceptual and detailed CAD design for propulsion components with performance calculations and analysis
- Review and approve drawings, 3D PMI, reports, and specifications from other engineers
- Plan, set up, instrument, execute, and analyze propulsion tests
- Communicate with internal and external project stakeholders
- Make technical risk-based decisions to solve engineering challenges
- Manage project schedules, prioritize work, task engineers and technicians, and report status to leadership
- Mentor and coach team members on technical and professional development
- Define and maintain standards of excellence through documentation, training, and review of team work
- Contribute to engineering process development and documentation
What You Will Bring
- 5+ years of experience in propulsion system development or equivalent high-performance engineering field
- Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, mechatronics, or other technical engineering discipline
- Detailed mechanical design experience using NX (preferred) or equivalent CAD software and Product Lifecycle Management tools such as Teamcenter (preferred), Windchill, or similar
- Track record of design reviews and approval of flight parts, qualification reports, and flight hardware decisions
- Experience with full end-to-end development: requirements gathering, detailed design, qualification, production, and acceptance testing
- Excellent communication skills and ability to work well in teams
- Hands-on integration and testing experience, ideally with National Instruments equipment and software
- Experience with propulsion systems using different storable propellants: electrical and chemical
- US citizenship and willingness to obtain a security clearance required due to program requirements
Nice to Have
- Passion for engineering with curious mindset and willingness to learn
- Comfort working with high ambiguity and making decisions using engineering principles, literature, standards, risk assessments, test data, and physics-based models
- Ability to identify steps needed to achieve technical goals, schedule them, and manage delivery
- Experience developing requirement and verification sets, writing test plans, performing testing, and writing test reports
- Python for data manipulation and post-processing
- Demonstrated hands-on engineering skills inside or outside the workplace
- GD&T and engineering drawing experience
- Experience with National Instruments data acquisition systems
- Testing and troubleshooting of flight hardware
- Master's or PhD
Compensation and Benefits
Base Salary: $115,000 to $173,000 USD
Total Compensation (base and equity): $135,000 to $208,000 USD
Equity grant value designed around function, level, and experience; realized value depends on vesting and stock performance.
Benefits include: company stock purchase program with 15% discount, medical plans (HMO, PPO, zero-cost HDHP with HSA contribution), dental and vision coverage, paid vacation and sick time, 11 paid holidays, flexible spending and dependent care accounts, paid parental leave, disability and life insurance, 401(k) with company match, subsidized EV charging, onsite fitness centers, gym discounts, complimentary snacks and beverages, employee merch discount, and additional employee discounts.
Working Conditions
This position may require prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, and computer work, with occasional exposure to moderate levels of noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.