Principal Integration & Test Engineer

Rocket Lab • Tucson, AZ

17h • Onsite

About The Position

Rocket Lab Optical Systems develops mission-critical optical solutions for Department of Defense and Intelligence Community customers, including space-based, terrestrial, and airborne sensing systems. The Principal Integration & Test Engineer will work in Tucson, Arizona, integrating, aligning, calibrating, and verifying advanced EO/IR payloads for national defense space missions. This is a hands-on technical role involving optical bench setup, metrology, environmental test readiness, and performance validation.

The engineer will lead optical integration and verification activities, develop and refine test procedures and characterization methods, support environmental testing, resolve integration and test issues, and collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams. The role also supports customer reviews and technical data packages and seeks improvements to alignment methods, test tooling, and data-analysis workflows.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• 12 or more years of experience in integration and test of complex systems.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• Experience in optical system integration, test, or verification.
• Hands-on experience with optical alignment, metrology, interferometry, and imaging-system characterization.
• Familiarity with optical benches, cleanroom practices, contamination control, and environmental testing.
• Strong data-analysis, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with EO/IR payloads, infrared focal planes, or space-based sensor systems.
• Experience writing alignment procedures, test scripts, and verification plans.
• Experience with automated test equipment or optical STE.
• Active TS/SCI U.S. Government security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead integration, alignment, calibration, and verification of advanced EO/IR optical payloads used in spaceborne sensor systems.
• Perform optical bench setup, optical alignment, metrology, and environmental test-readiness tasks.
• Develop and refine test procedures, optical characterization methods, and performance-validation processes.
• Support thermal vacuum (TVAC), vibration, and shock testing; monitor optical performance and ensure compliance with mission requirements.
• Resolve integration issues, test anomalies, and optical-performance deviations.
• Collaborate with Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, and AIT teams on optical-mechanical-electrical integration.
• Support customer reviews, data packages, and technical briefings.
• Identify improvements to alignment methods, test tooling, and data-analysis workflows.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal