Software Engineer
Posted 1 Apr 2026
Advertised as “Senior Software Engineer - Operations Software”
BranchFactor Summary
The original posting with the fluff stripped out
- Expected experience
- 5+ yrs
- Management level
- Individual contributor
No salary listed for this role.
Field of studyComputer Science, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering (or related)
Study levelBachelor's
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.
NEUTRON
Rocket Lab’s Neutron team is responsible for bringing our new large rocket Neutron and its launch and test sites to life. From designing and testing Neutron’s structures and components, to firing up its new Archimedes engines, to setting up Neutron’s launch pads and test sites across the United States, joining the Neutron team is your opportunity to help launch a new large rocket for the very first time.
SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER – OPERATIONS SOFTWARE
As a Senior Software Engineer – Operations Software based at Rocket Lab’s site in Auckland New Zealand, you will have the opportunity create, maintain, deploy and support components, functions or services in launch vehicles and spacecraft operations. In this role you will have scope to perform independent engineering as allocated and have product ownership. Join a driven team that’s tackling challenging projects, delivering on exciting missions, and making an impact on the future of space!
WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO:
- Acquisition, ingestion and storage of telemetry from:
- Launch Operations
- Spacecraft Operations
- Integrated Systems Testing
- Operational Simulations
- Sub-System Testing
- Design and implement software, tests, and architecture based on feature requests and bug fixes.
- Create operational documentation for software products.
- Manage and review source code using version control tools and establish code review standards.
YOU’LL BRING THESE QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in software engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or similar.
- Minimum of 5+ years’ experience within a related field
- Experience with Git
- Experience with one of: Redmine, Jira, or other issue tracker
- Golang Development
- High-performance systems & scalability
THESE QUALIFICATIONS WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE:
- Network Protocols (UDP / TCP / gRPC / CCSDS)
- Scrum / Kanban
- Linux Containers
- Cloud Application Development