Senior GNC Engineer II- Mission Formulation

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 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.

The Sr. GNC Engineer – Mission Formulation works out of Rocket Lab’s global headquarters in Long Beach, CA, Littleton, CO. As a key member of the Global Launch Services (GLS) Mission Formulation team, the engineer develops Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) design, modeling, analyses, and testing for Rocket Lab launches and missions, including classified missions on HASTE and Electron launch vehicles.

• Serve as the GNC contact for Business Development proposals and mission definition
• Develop launch and mission operational concepts
• Design and analyze orbital and suborbital trajectories
• Engage external stakeholders and customers for mission‑specific requirements engineering
• Document proposed GNC solutions and participate in design reviews with customers
• Support hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HITL) testing to verify trajectories, GNC, and flight code performance
• Conduct Monte Carlo simulation analyses to define and verify launch and mission operations
• Develop and support release of flight code for pre‑launch ground testing, launch, and mission operations
• Perform flight safety analyses prior to launch and provide day‑of‑launch support
• Verify readiness of AFTS (Automated Flight Termination System) hardware and software
• Develop tools and processes for automating common GNC modeling and analysis tasks

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical)
• Minimum eight years of engineering or analytical experience
• Proven experience developing real‑time control and/or estimation algorithms in autonomous vehicles, preferably launch vehicles

• Active TS/SCI clearance
• Experience with requirements assessments and interface control document generation
• Experience with Git version control
• Three or more years of modeling, simulation, and/or control of dynamics systems, particularly rigid bodies
• Three or more years of Python development
• Experience with data analysis using MATLAB and/or Sci Py
• Experience developing in C/C++
• Experience with ASTOS or similar mission analysis, trajectory optimization, vehicle design, and simulation tools
• Strong communication skills and the ability to build working relationships
• Creative, analytical, and good at problem solving
• Ability to work independently and plan daily workflow to meet higher‑level tasks

Base Pay Range (CA Only): $120,000 – $176,000 USD, determined by job‑related knowledge, skills, education, and experience. Base salary is just one component of our total rewards package at Rocket Lab.

• Top‑tier medical HMO, PPO, and a 100% company‑sponsored medical HSA plan option
• Dental and vision coverage
• Three weeks paid vacation and five days sick leave per year
• Eleven paid holidays per year
• Flexible spending and dependent care savings accounts
• Paid parental leave
• Disability insurance and life insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Company equity and access to a 401(k) plan with company match
• Discounted employee stock purchase program, subsidized EV charging stations, onsite gym, food and drinks, and other discounts

Rocket Lab provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.