Senior Facilities Engineer I

Rocket Lab•Albuquerque, NM

9h•Onsite

About The Position

Rocket Lab’s Space Systems team builds spacecraft, payloads, and components for space missions. The Senior Facilities Engineer I, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, supports facilities maintenance, operations, and improvement projects for SolAero facilities, including equipment maintenance and preventive maintenance. The role supports internal leadership in ensuring facility equipment meets current standards and provides high availability for production. The position manages building systems and translates manufacturing, process, and testing needs into facility specifications. It plans and supports capital projects, works with cross-functional teams and subcontractors, develops maintenance procedures, tracks work orders, applies Lean principles, and supports equipment acceptance testing and commissioning. The role also supports EHS compliance, troubleshooting, corrective actions, preventive maintenance, and equipment performance improvements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, preferably Industrial, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Electrical, or Aerospace, and 5+ years of experience in manufacturing or facilities engineering environments, specifically HVAC, pneumatics, controls, and steam; or 9+ years of such experience in lieu of a degree.
Facilities and equipment maintenance experience in an aerospace, automotive, medical device, or similar heavily regulated manufacturing environment, such as a cleanroom.
Demonstrated achievements planning, directing, and implementing complex projects on time, within budget, and with desired functionality.
Experience with heavy equipment, large-scale lifting operations, and structural assembly.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Engineering, preferably Manufacturing, Mechanical, Electrical, or Aerospace.
Occupational health and safety skills, including risk assessment, policy, training, project management, hazardous substances, and safety in manufacturing engineering.
Knowledge and practical experience in emergency management and/or occupational health and workplace hygiene.
Experience applying Lean Manufacturing tools and methodologies.
Ability to maintain a broad focus while attending to detail and managing multiple efforts concurrently.
Ability to work effectively with all organizational levels, including staff, business stakeholders, and management.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including communication for an executive audience.
Strong conflict resolution, negotiation, and influencing skills.
Ability to work in fast-paced, changing, and ambiguous environments.
Proven project management experience.
Highly organized and detail oriented.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute plans to manage building systems, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, safety, and waste management.
Translate manufacturing, process, and testing requirements into facilities specifications for electrical and network infrastructure, HVAC, fluids, and other critical systems.
Plan, justify, and support capital projects for facility upgrades, equipment installations, and layout improvements.
Collaborate with operations, maintenance, and subcontractors to ensure facilities equipment meets safety and operational standards.
Develop maintenance policies and procedures for buildings, grounds, and associated equipment.
Ensure facilities maintenance work follows safety standards and specifications, and that work orders are tracked and completed within budget guidelines.
Apply Lean principles to facilities design and production system development.
Support equipment selection, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), and production commissioning.
Support EHS to ensure facility compliance with OSHA and environmental regulations.
Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues, implement corrective actions, and perform preventive maintenance.
Monitor equipment performance, conduct evaluations, and implement upgrades to optimize efficiency.