Senior Electrical Engineer II

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.

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.

Rocket Lab Robotics specializes in high-performance robotic systems and precision mechanisms that enable the most ambitious space missions, including NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover and CADRE lunar rovers. Leveraging Mars-proven expertise from Motiv Space Systems, we deliver scalable, flight-proven solutions – such as robotic arms, motion control systems, and solar array drive assemblies (SADAs) – to support planetary exploration, satellite servicing, and national security missions.

Based at Rocket Lab Robotics in Pasadena, CA, as the Senior Electrical Engineer II you will participate in the development and test of avionics hardware for our robotics programs. You will work collaboratively with engineers of various disciplines and participate in all aspects of electrical hardware development, from requirements definition through design, prototyping, fabrication, testing, and production. We're looking for people who are passionate about robotics electrical hardware design, with a willingness to learn in a fast-paced environment.

• End to end ownership of hardware for robotics and motor control applications
• Drive architecture decisions to advance our control algorithms
• Work with FPGA and Micro-Controller systems
• Develop PCBA requirements in collaboration with other engineering disciplines
• PCBA design verification testing and system integration testing
• Own environmental tests including EMI/EMC, TVAC, Shock, Vibe, etc.
• Schematic capture and PCB layout using Altium Designer
• Oversight and mentorship of support engineers (layout, analysis, test, etc.)
• Production manufacturing support as needed
• Support failure analysis and root-cause investigation for units in test, integration, or on-orbit operation.

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical or computer engineering; or other engineering discipline
• 8+ years of electrical hardware design experience
• Able to develop "blank sheet of paper" design concepts
• Experience in PCBA design with FPGAs
• Experience in motor control applications
• Experience with analog signal chains
• Proficiency performing circuit analyses using SPICE
• Proficiency with board bring-up and debug

• Experience in FPGA firmware design with Verilog, specifically creating IP from scratch
• Experience with Field-Oriented-Control
• Experience with switch mode power supplies
• Experience designing electronics for space environments, including radiation impacts and mitigation including SEU/SEL impact and mitigation.
• Experience…