Senior Quality 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.

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.

Based out of Rocket Lab's new site in Albuquerque, NM as part of the Sol Aero Technologies acquisition, the Senior Quality Engineer is responsible for promoting a quality culture focused on continuous improvement and innovation across all aspects of the business. This role works closely with cross-functional teams to ensure product and process excellence throughout the product lifecycle, while maintaining compliance with AS9100, customer, and internal requirements.

The Quality Engineer leads quality initiatives, manages the Quality Management System (QMS), and represents the organization in all matters related to product quality.

• Promote a quality culture focused on continuous improvement and innovation to ensure the organization achieves exceptional results.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on customer design reviews, new product development, in-process product monitoring, contract reviews, and internal specification reviews.
• Monitor product performance throughout the product lifecycle, ensuring compliance with customer and internal specifications, and drive a culture of efficiency and change.
• Create, monitor, and continuously improve QMS procedures, policies, work instructions, manuals, and records to ensure compliance with AS9100, customer, and internal requirements.
• Represent the organization in customer service matters, including customer complaints, visits, audits, and inquiries related to product quality.
• Lead quality improvements, root cause analysis, corrective actions, internal audits, and non-conformance reviews as required.
• Support the Engineering Change process by participating in technical reviews to ensure changes align with customer requirements, internal standards, and manufacturing protocols.
• Verify and validate that in-process and completed products meet all performance and appearance requirements.
• Deploy the Quality Management System within the scope of work to support operational excellence.
• Facilitate Material Review Boards, Corrective Action Boards, and Return Material Authorization processes as needed.
• Create, monitor, and automate metrics for discrepancy reports, nonconformances, corrective actions, supplier quality, cost of poor quality (CoPQ), KPIs, RMAs, and other quality-related metrics.
• Take necessary action when Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) do not meet expectations.
• Conduct internal and supplier quality audits, identifying compliance or…