Senior Quality Engineer II; Software

Overview

Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company delivering responsive launch services, complete spacecraft design and manufacturing, payloads, satellite components, and more – with the goal of opening access space. Our Space Systems team builds everything from complete spacecraft and precision payloads to the components and subsystems that enable them to thrive in space.

Senior Quality Engineer II (Software) — Rocket Lab’s Optical Systems division provides quality and mission assurance support for mission-critical software used in space payloads, ground systems, and integrated hardware/software products. This role focuses on software quality across the full lifecycle, ensuring requirements are defined, risks identified, verification is rigorous, and releases are controlled in a regulated, non-recoverable space environment. The position is based at our Optical Systems site in Chantilly, VA.

WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO:

• Serve as the Quality Engineering representative for software development activities supporting space payloads, ground systems, and hardware-integrated products
• Support end-to-end software lifecycle quality across requirements, design, development, integration, verification, release, and sustainment
• Review and assess software requirements for clarity, testability, traceability, and alignment with system and customer requirements
• Participate in and provide quality input to software design reviews, test readiness reviews, and acceptance reviews
• Review and approve software quality artifacts, including design documentation, test plans, test procedures, test results, and release records
• Support software verification and validation activities, ensuring adequate coverage, risk mitigation, and objective evidence
• Support integration, environmental, and system-level test campaigns, including on-site participation as required to support mission assurance and anomaly resolution
• Identify, document, and support resolution of software nonconformances, defects, and escapes, including root cause analysis and corrective actions
• Ensure software-related quality, mission assurance, and regulatory requirements are properly flowed down from customer contracts and internal standards into implementation
• Support supplier and subcontractor software quality oversight, including review of deliverables, audits, and quality flow-down requirements
• Support software configuration management and release control, including baseline integrity, change control, and regression awareness
• Develop, maintain, and analyze Power BI dashboards to monitor software quality metrics such as defect trends, escape rates, test status, and corrective action closure
• Support and leverage Power Apps and SharePoint-based tools to standardize and automate software quality workflows, reviews, approvals, and data collection
• Support internal, external, customer, and regulatory audits related to software quality (e.g., AS9100, customer audits)
• Promote a risk-aware, quality-first culture across software and integrated product teams
• Travel as required to support test campaigns, supplier oversight, audits, and key program milestones

YOU’LL BRING THESE

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Quality, or a related technical discipline
• 8+ years of experience performing Software Quality Engineering or quality oversight for mission-critical or safety-critical systems

THESE QUALIFICATIONS WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE:

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Quality, or Business Management
• Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or equivalent certification
• Experience supporting spaceflight software, payload control software, or mission ground systems
• Familiarity with Agile, Waterfall, or V-Model development in regulated environments
• Experience with software configuration management, version control, and release governance
• Familiarity with ITAR/export compliance requirements
• Lean Six Sigma (Green or Black Belt) certification

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and…