Manufacturing Engineer II - Assembly & Integration

Manufacturing Engineer II - Assembly & Integration

Long Beach, CA

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.

Manufacturing Engineering powers Rocket Lab's factories from concept to full-scale production. We turn early ideas into manufacturable designs, build and optimize the systems that make them real, and constantly push for faster, better, smarter ways to build. We engineer the factories that build the rockets, boosting quality, cutting cost, and accelerating build rate.

This role focuses on improving manufacturing processes by conducting feasibility studies, supporting product design for manufacturability, and leading factory setup and optimization. It involves troubleshooting production issues, collaborating with cross-functional teams, driving process improvements, and supporting organizational efficiency through effective change management and business system enhancements.

What You'll Get To Do:

• Prepare feasibility studies and conduct manufacturing technology Research & Development projects
• Partner with our Design Engineering teams to incorporate Design for Manufacture into our products to ensure robustness and manufacturability at scale
• Engineer and deliver our factories – design, procure, install, validate assembly, test and verification processes
• Support Development builds to uncover early learnings and resolve issues to accelerate the production ramp up
• Take engineering ownership of production lines to remove blockers, improve yield and increase build efficiency
• Triage and diagnose failures, conduct deep technical investigations and determine the right path forward including risk mitigation actions and root cause resolution
• Collaborate with cross functional teams to resolve complex issues
• Drive process improvements across manufacturing, test and integration
• Contribute to change management, assessing risk and impact of design or process changes
• Support business system and process improvements to drive increased organizational effectiveness and efficiency

You'll Bring These Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or similar
• 2+ years of technical experience in a Manufacturing, Production, or Process Engineering environment
• Hands-on experience solving problems in complex manufacturing systems
• Ability to effectively deliver on complex assignments with autonomy
• Foundational knowledge in complex manufacturing processes

These Qualifications Would Be Nice To Have:

• Working experience with environmental acceptance/production acceptance testing, such as vibration, shock, thermal, and vacuum
• Understanding of instrumentation, interfaces, and sensors including power supplies, oscilloscopes, serial devices, switch topologies, accelerometers, thermocouples, RTDs, and 4-20mA sensors
• Experience with designing, implementing, and supporting a production line and/or build area
• Experience transitioning products from design to production as a part of cross-functional team in a fast-paced, iterative design environment
• Demonstrated experience with DFMEA, PFMEA methodologies, Fault Tree Analysis, Pareto analysis, root cause and corrective action

This position may require prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, computer work, and occasional exposure to moderate levels of noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.

Level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. Join one of the world's fastest-growing space companies and own a piece of it. In addition to competitive pay, you'll receive company stock as part of your total compensation package, giving you a direct stake in our success. As we expand to new launch sites, groundbreaking missions, and global markets, your ownership has the opportunity to grow alongside the company. Our comprehensive benefits package includes our industry-leading Employee Stock Purchase Program (with a 15% discount on company stock), top-tier medical plans (HMO, PPO, and a zero cost HDHP option with a significant HSA company contribution), dental and vision coverage, paid vacation and sick time, 11 paid holidays, flexible spending and dependent care accounts, paid parental leave, disability and life insurance, and a 401(k) retirement plan with company match. Additional perks include subsidized EV charging, onsite fitness centers (where available), discounted gym memberships, complimentary snacks and beverages, 50% employee discount on our popular merch store, and a variety of other employee discounts.

Base Pay Range (CA Only)

$100,000 - $125,000 USD

What To Expect

We're on a mission to unlock the potential of space to improve life on Earth, but that's not an easy task. It takes hard work, determination, relentless innovation, teamwork, grit, and an unwavering commitment to achieving what others often deem impossible. Our people out-think, out-work, and out-pace. We pride ourselves on having each other's backs, checking our egos at the door, and rolling up our sleeves on all tasks big and small. We thrive under pressure, work to tight deadlines, and our focus is always on how we can deliver, rather than dwelling on the challenges that stand in the way.