Senior Supplier Development Engineer I​/II - Electrical

Overview

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. The goal is to open access to space, supporting scientific exploration, Earth observation, climate-related missions, national security, and technology demonstrations. The Space Systems business designs and builds satellites and components, including spacecraft for NASA missions to the Moon and Mars and components used on the James Webb Space Telescope.

SENIOR SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER I / II - ELECTRICAL

Based in Rocket Lab's headquarters in Long Beach, CA, the Senior Supplier Development Engineer I/II – Electrical is the primary technical owner of the supply base for a broad portfolio of electrical hardware. This role leads the end-to-end industrialization of suppliers from source selection and process qualification through NPI, PPAP, and production ramp, ensuring that every supplier can deliver conforming hardware at rate, on cost, and on schedule.

It is a hands-on, supplier-facing role requiring deep commodity knowledge across electrical domains including PCBAs, wire harnesses, connectors, sensors, power systems, and electro-mechanical assemblies. The SDE operates at the intersection of design, manufacturing, procurement, and quality and acts as the internal advocate for supply chain manufacturability and capability.

• Lead end-to-end supplier industrialization for electrical hardware from source selection and process qualification through NPI, PPAP, and rate production ramp.
• Partner with procurement and engineering to identify, evaluate, and select suppliers based on process capability, quality systems, and capacity across PCB manufacturing, SMT, wire harness assembly, connector production, and electro-mechanical integration.
• Conduct supplier capability assessments during qualification phases, evaluating tooling maturity, measurement systems, process controls, and workforce qualification against program requirements.
• Lead Design for Manufacturability (DFM) reviews with design engineering at the earliest program stage, providing actionable feedback on PCB layout, component selection, trace routing, tolerance stack-ups, and design characteristics that drive cost or quality risk.
• Own the APQP process at suppliers, driving completion of all quality planning deliverables — process flow, PFMEA, control plan, MSA/GR&R, and dimensional results — on schedule and to the required standard.
• Drive the PPAP program as a production readiness gate; define required submission levels, disposition supplier packages, and ensure process capability (Cpk) is demonstrated on critical and significant characteristics to enable at-rate production.
• Lead First Article Inspection (FAI) activities at suppliers and in coordination with internal quality teams; ensure all findings are resolved to closure within project timelines.
• Identify systemic performance gaps; own supplier improvement plans and drive measurable progress against quality, cost, delivery, and capacity targets.
• Lead root cause and corrective action (RCCA) for supplier quality issues and escapes, applying structured problem-solving methods and validating corrective actions are robust and sustained across applicable parts and production lines.
• Apply lean manufacturing and statistical quality tools — including SPC, Cpk trending, and process audits — to drive continuous improvement across the electrical supply base and eliminate recurring defects.

(This position can be hired as a Senior Supplier Development Engineer I or Senior Supplier Development Engineer II)

Senior Supplier Development Engineer I

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a regulated industry (Aerospace, Medical, Automotive, Industrial, or similar).
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
• Working knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, control plans, MSA, and statistical process capability (Cpk/Ppk).
• Experience conducting DFM reviews and translating design intent into manufacturing and quality requirements.
• Ability to…