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Rocket Lab Corporation•Long Beach, CA

7h•Onsite

About The Position

Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company delivering responsive launch services, complete spacecraft design and manufacturing, payloads, satellite components, and more – all with the goal of opening access to space. The rockets and satellites we build and launch enable some of the most ambitious and vital space missions globally, supporting scientific exploration, Earth observation and missions to combat climate change, national security, and exciting new technology demonstrations. Our Electron rocket has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered more than 230 satellites to orbit, all while we work to develop Neutron, our upcoming medium-lift, reusable launch vehicle for larger constellation deployment. Our Space Systems business designs and builds our extensive line of satellites, payloads, and their components, including spacecraft that have been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars and components used on the James Webb Space Telescope. SPACE SYSTEMS At Rocket Lab, we’re not just launching rockets - we're building the future of space. Our Space Systems team builds everything from complete spacecraft and precision payloads to the components and subsystems that allow them to thrive in space, including solar panels, flight software, star trackers, optical systems, separation systems, radios, and more. Our Space Systems team has enabled more than 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration and in-space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives. The team has built spacecraft, payloads, and components for missions to the Moon and Mars, working with partners including NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force. Whether it’s a single high-performance spacecraft, constellation, or vertically integrated components that help missions get to space, our world-class Space Systems team is empowering some of the boldest and most ambitious space missions. Based at Rocket Lab's global headquarters in Long Beach, CA, you are the program authority for one of our most sensitive next-generation mission platforms. You own the technical roadmap and strategic program decisions from the first “blank sheet” prototype, through flight qualification, and into responsive production. This is a high-ownership role: you'll immerse yourself in the operational realities of the warfighter to turn their hardest problems into concrete technical milestones, and you'll be the person the program runs on. (Please note: this position can be hired at the Senior Technical Program Manager I OR Senior Technical Program Manager II level)

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in physics, math, science, or other technical discipline
5+ years of program management experience (for Senior Technical Program Manager I)
8+ years of program management experience (for Senior Technical Program Manager II)
A demonstrated track record of owning a technical program, product, or team end to end and carrying it across the finish line under real pressure, we hire on what you've shipped, not years logged
Evidence you've moved real hardware and software from prototype toward qualified, flight-ready systems
Understanding of the nuances of closed-loop guidance and control, on-board autonomy, or propulsion for high-performance platforms
Experience identifying technical, schedule, or supply-chain risk and neutralizing it before it impacts the mission
Active TS/SCI clearance
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to focus
Regularly required to sit, use hands and fingers, operate computer keyboard and controls, and communicate verbally and in writing
Must be physically able to commute to buildings
Occasional exposure to dust, fumes and moderate levels of noise
For candidates seeking to work in US offices only: Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable.

Nice To Haves

A proven playbook for transitioning low-volume prototypes into responsive production without sacrificing mission reliability.
Deep experience navigating National Security Space (NSS) and the most time-critical mission sets.
Demonstrated success negotiating, capturing, and executing large U.S. Government contracts.
A Master's degree in Engineering or a related field that lets you peer-review technical roadmaps.
You speak Systems Engineering — trade studies, interface control, requirement integrity — and use Jira, Confluence, and ERP to keep program health visible at speed.
Multiple program cycles or 8+ years in space/defense, sharpen the edge, but we weight the hardest thing you've shipped over the count.

Responsibilities

Build and lead the team that takes highly maneuverable, time-critical mission platforms from a “blank sheet” concept through qualification, responsive production, and flight, and own the technical roadmap that grows the team's core capabilities.
Run multiple active programs at once, make sound architectural calls with Chief Engineers, navigate the hardest trade-offs in closed-loop guidance and control, on-board autonomy, and propulsion, and personally dive into the most program-threatening problems alongside the team.
Grow a culture where strong people take smart, healthy risks and the best idea wins, no matter who it comes from, we back bold calls and treat an intelligent miss as the cost of moving fast and coach and develop the next generation of program and team leaders.
Manage high-stakes subcontracts and suppliers as strategic partners essential to the mission, protecting schedule and margin.
Synchronize cross-functional teams across hardware, software, GNC, and mission assurance and clear roadblocks quickly so the team keeps moving at speed and quality stays high.
Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned U.S. Government national security customers, and partner with BD & Strategy on proposals and technical narratives that define the next generation of national security mission systems.