Manufacturing Engineer

ABOUT ROCKET LAB

Rocket Lab is the end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems that keep the world connected, protected, expand humanity’s reach to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. We move fast, build real hardware for meaningful missions, and make the impossible routine. Come shape the future with us.

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, precision payloads to the components and subsystems that allow them to thrive in space, like 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, 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 the vertically integrated components that help them get to space — our world class Space Systems team is empowering some of the boldest and most ambitious space missions.

SENIOR MANUFACTURING ENGINEER I

Rocket Lab Robotics specializes in high-performance robotic systems and precision mechanisms that enable the most ambitious space missions, including NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover and CADRE lunar rovers. Leveraging Mars-proven expertise from Motiv Space Systems, we deliver scalable, flight-proven solutions – such as robotic arms, motion control systems, and solar array drive assemblies (SADAs) – to support planetary exploration, satellite servicing, and national security missions.

We are currently seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer I to be based onsite at Rocket Lab Robotics in Pasadena, CA. The Manufacturing Engineer will be responsible for the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of manufacturing technologies, build processes, work instructions, tooling, and production systems used to assemble, integrate, test, and scale robotics and electromechanical hardware.

You will work closely with design engineering, production, quality, supply chain, and highly skilled technicians to translate designs into efficient, repeatable, and well-documented manufacturing processes. You’ll play a critical role in supporting all aspects of production at Rocket Lab Robotics by taking ownership of products released to production, removing production blockers, dispositioning issue tickets, performing root-cause analysis, and implementing corrective actions. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys hands-on problem solving, rapid iteration, and building the processes that enable complex robotics hardware to move from prototype through production.

WHAT YOU'LL GET TO DO: