Senior Supplier Development Engineer I/II – Mechanical

Rocket Lab Corporation•Long Beach, CA

8h•$102,400 - $156,000•Onsite

About The Position

Based out of Rocket Lab's headquarters in Long Beach, CA the Senior Supplier Development Engineer I/II – Mechanical is the primary technical owner of the supply base for a broad portfolio of mechanical hardware. This role is responsible for leading the end-to-end industrialization of suppliers from source selection and process qualification through NPI, PPAP, and production ramp thereby ensuring that every supplier can deliver conforming hardware at rate, on cost, and on schedule. This is a hands-on, supplier-facing role requiring deep commodity knowledge across mechanical domains including but not limited to Complex Machined Parts, Electro-Mechanical Assemblies, Structural Composites, 3D printing and raw materials. The SDE operates proactively at the intersection of design, manufacturing, procurement, and quality. They are the ultimate internal advocate for supply chain manufacturability and capability.

Requirements

Minimum 5 years’ experience working in a regulated industry Aerospace, Medical, Automotive, Industrial, or similar (for I)
Minimum 8 years’ experience working in a regulated industry Aerospace, Medical, Automotive, Industrial, or similar (for II)
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Manufacturing Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
Working knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, control plans, MSA, and statistical process capability (Cpk/Ppk).
Experience conducting DFM reviews and translating design intent into manufacturing and quality requirements.
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, GD&T (ASME Y14.5), and 3D CAD models.
Owns problems all the way to resolution — doesn't hand off and walk away.
Is proactive at suppliers, not reactive; identifies risks before they become escapes.
Can translate complex engineering requirements into clear, actionable supplier expectations.
Builds genuine working relationships with supplier technical teams and earns trust through competence.
Communicates with clarity and urgency across internal engineering, procurement, quality, and program management.
Thrives in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment and makes high-quality decisions under schedule pressure.
Brings intellectual curiosity about manufacturing — enjoys spending time on the shop floor understanding how things are made.
Willingness and ability to travel up to 40%, domestically and internationally, sometimes on short notice
Ability to work extended hours, some nights or weekends when needed
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

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end supplier industrialization for mechanical hardware from source selection and process qualification through NPI, PPAP, and rate production ramp.
Partner with procurement and engineering to identify, evaluate, and select suppliers based on process capability, quality systems, and capacity across CNC machining, EDM, grinding, additive manufacturing, welding and electro-mechanical assemblies.
Conduct supplier capability assessments during qualification phases, evaluating tooling maturity, measurement systems, process controls, and workforce qualification against program requirements.
Lead Design for Manufacturability (DFM) reviews with design engineering at the earliest program stage, providing actionable feedback on feature complexity, datum schemes, tolerance stack-ups, and design characteristics that drive cost or quality risk.
Own the APQP process at suppliers, driving completion of all quality planning deliverables — process flow, PFMEA, control plan, MSA/GR&R, and dimensional results — on schedule and to the required standard.
Drive the PPAP program as a production readiness gate; define required submission levels, disposition supplier packages, and ensure process capability (Cpk) is demonstrated on critical and significant characteristics to enable at rate production.
Lead First Article Inspection (FAI) activities at suppliers and in coordination with internal quality teams; ensure all findings are resolved to closure within project timelines.
Identify systemic performance gaps; own supplier improvement plans and drive measurable progress against quality, cost, delivery, and capacity targets.
Lead root cause and corrective action (RCCA) for supplier quality issues and escapes, applying structured problem-solving methods (8D, 5-Why) and validating that corrective actions are robust and sustained across all applicable parts and production lines.
Apply lean manufacturing and statistical quality tools — including SPC, Cpk trending, and process audits — to drive continuous improvement across the mechanical supply base and eliminate sources of recurring defect.