Senior Manager, Quality

ABOUT ROCKET LAB

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 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.

Our Electron rocket has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered more than 230 satellites to orbit, all while we work to develop Neutron, our upcoming medium-lift, reusable launch vehicle for larger constellation deployment. Our Space Systems business designs and builds our extensive line of satellites, payloads, and their components, including spacecraft that have been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars and components used on the James Webb Space Telescope.

As a Senior Manager, Quality based at Rocket Lab’s site in Long Beach, CA
, you will have the opportunity to support the future of quality at our headquarters. In this role you will work on pushing quality culture, developing high-performing teams, and building scalable, impactful systems from the ground up.

To be successful in this role, you must be hands‑on and driven, leading from the front. Join a driven team of pioneers relentlessly tackling challenging projects, delivering on the impossible, and making an impact on the future of space!

• Manage and grow a team of Quality Engineers, developing capability, accountability, and a proactive mindset across the group.
• Champion a shift from reactive to proactive quality management. Foster strong cross‑functional engagement, ensuring quality is embedded in every process and decision.
• Define quality standards for incoming materials, manage supplier audits, and ensure performance across the external supply chain.
• Lead the Material Review Board to ensure effective disposition of non‑conforming materials and identify opportunities for scrap reduction and root cause resolution.
• Use methodologies like Lean, Six Sigma, and problem‑solving tools to drive continuous improvement, eliminate process variation, and reduce defects across production.
• Oversee documentation control, conduct product and process audits, and ensure rigorous standards are applied consistently.
• Own key KPIs, reporting on quality metrics, progress, and initiatives to site leadership and global stakeholders.
• Support and maintain Rocket Lab’s QMS, ensuring adherence to AS9100 standards and alignment with global procedures. Oversee certification processes and regulatory compliance across manufacturing and operations.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, or related discipline (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemistry, etc.)
• 10+ years in a quality role within a high‑complexity manufacturing environment.
• 5+ years of team leadership or management experience
• Experience in aerospace, automotive, or regulated manufacturing sectors
• Exposure to supplier quality, compliance audits, and technical product documentation
• Able to influence, build relationships, and gain buy‑in across global teams.
• Experience in quality systems and methodologies (AS9100, ISO, Lean, Six Sigma).

• A strong leader from a complex manufacturing environment (aerospace, automotive, or similar).
• Comfortable rolling up your sleeves and working across levels — from the shop floor to senior leadership.
• Driven, practical, and decisive — able to make sound judgments even with limited data.
• Confident managing engineers and quality professionals in a cross‑functional setting.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to focus.
• Regularly required to sit, use hands and fingers, operate computer keyboard and controls, and communicate verbally and in writing.
• Must be physically able to commute to buildings
• Occasional…