Team Lead

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.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Electron Flight Software team sits within our GNC department. The team's software operates launch vehicle and spacecraft avionics during launch and on orbit, collects and distributes telemetry and commands, and hosts our guidance, navigation, and control software and algorithms. It's all developed in house, so the people who write it also see it fly.

As Team Lead - Electron Flight Software, you'll lead a team of five engineers who create, maintain, and support software for the Electron launch vehicle, the Photon spacecraft, and the associated ground communication systems. You'll report to the Director of Electron Engineering and be based at our Auckland Production Complex. This is a hands on leadership role. You'll set the long-term direction for Electron flight software, develop your team, and make decisions that prioritise the reliability and efficiency of the vehicle, while still writing and reviewing code yourself.

YOU'LL GET TO:

OWN & SHIP

• Set and manage the long-term objectives for Electron flight software, and be accountable for delivering high-quality flight software on time
• Lead software development for launch vehicle and spacecraft avionics embedded computers, ground segment communications, and avionics simulations, including hardware-in-the-loop
• Approve software requirements, architecture designs, and definition of ready for backlog items
• Write code and unit tests, review merge requests, and document how the team's software products operate

SOLVE & FIX

• Continually reduce software-related risk to the vehicle and the business, making risk/reward trade-off calls with input from quality, senior engineering, and production
• Run trade studies and work through complex technical problems where the standard approach won't work
• Identify risks early and change course when needed to keep development on track

LEAD & SCALE

• Lead a team of five flight software engineers and run stand-ups, architecture meetings, and stakeholder meetings that stay focused and useful
• Recruit and retain talent within the team
• Keep the wider business informed on status and blockers, and work across teams to clear them