Business Development Engineer II

Rocket Lab•Long Beach, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Rocket Lab is seeking an early-career Business Development Engineer II to support the growth of its HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) business and pursue opportunities that address national hypersonic test and evaluation needs. The role is based at Rocket Lab’s global headquarters in Long Beach, California, and is part of the Global Launch Services Business Development team. The position works with Business Development, Engineering, Mission Management, Production, Communications, and other teams to support opportunity identification, market and competitive analysis, capture and proposal activities, mission concepts, and business cases. The role reports directly to the Director of Business Development, HASTE. The position supports proposals and opportunity pipeline analysis, assesses mission requirements with Engineering, coordinates realistic non-recurring engineering timelines and launch dates, and helps maintain customer-facing marketing and technical materials. It also uses internal tools such as Salesforce and supports business development agreements, Jira workflows, forecasting, pricing strategy, business planning, and HASTE product development. The role requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering or another technical discipline, at least two years of professional or internship engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or national security, U.S. citizenship, and the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance. The role may involve prolonged sitting, standing, walking, and computer work, as well as occasional exposure to moderate noise, dust, and fumes in production areas. Compensation includes a stated base pay range of $82,000–$113,000 USD for California, with company stock and a broad benefits package. The exact level and base salary are determined case by case based on job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or another technical discipline.
At least 2 years of professional or internship experience in an engineering role within the aerospace, defense, or national security industries.
U.S. citizenship is required due to program requirements.
Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Experience or academic exposure to the design, manufacturing, integration, or testing of hypersonic systems, payloads, or flight vehicles.
Experience with hypersonic systems, flight testing, or launch vehicles.
Familiarity with hypersonic flight test, missile defense, suborbital launch, or related national security markets.
Experience working on fast-paced engineering programs with geographically distributed or cross-functional teams.
Master’s degree in aerospace engineering or a related engineering discipline, such as mechanical, electrical, or computer engineering.
Experience with Python scripting, trajectory generation, or trajectory analysis.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Curiosity and enthusiasm for aerospace, hypersonics, and national security applications.
Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently when needed.
Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and colleagues with diverse technical backgrounds and areas of expertise.
Ability to understand complex technical concepts and communicate them clearly and concisely to technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

Draft proposals for new business opportunities in collaboration with Business Development and Engineering teams.
Track opportunities, analyze pipeline activity, and forecast demand for HASTE capabilities.
Coordinate with Engineering to assess mission requirements and develop timely technical responses to inquiries about HASTE capabilities.
Work with Production and Engineering to establish realistic, achievable non-recurring engineering timelines and launch dates for future missions.
Collaborate with Communications and Business Development to maintain and improve HASTE marketing materials, data sheets, and user guides.
Partner with Engineering to identify and address technical gaps and support improvements and standardization of customer-facing technical documentation.
Use internal tools, including Salesforce, to track leads, opportunities, and proposals and support Business Development reporting and KPI development.
Support Business Development activities related to launch service agreements, technical assistance agreements, and non-disclosure agreements, as well as Jira ticket creation, tracking, and prioritization.
Build and maintain knowledge of suborbital launch and hypersonic test markets, competitive capabilities, customer demand, and emerging trends to support sales forecasting, pricing strategy, business planning, and HASTE product development.

Benefits

Company stock as part of total compensation.
Employee Stock Purchase Program with a 15% discount on company stock.
Medical plans (HMO, PPO, and a zero-cost HDHP option with a company 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) retirement plan with company match.
Subsidized EV charging.
Onsite fitness centers where available.
Discounted gym memberships.
Complimentary snacks and beverages.
50% employee discount on the company merchandise store.
Other employee discounts.