Structural Analysis Engineer II​/Senior

Company Overview

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, climate change mitigation, national security, and exciting new technology demonstrations.

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. The team has enabled more than 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration to in‑space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives. We have 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.

As a Structural Analysis Engineer at Rocket Lab’s Silver Spring, Maryland location, you will analyze aerospace structures and mechanisms in support of product design, test, and improvements. The facility manufactures satellite mechanisms; their products include separation systems, on‑orbit devices, and other electro‑mechanical deployables.

• Collaborate with design engineers to validate product designs and improvements via detailed structural analysis, with tools such as FEA, of intricate assemblies and mechanisms
• Create test‑correlated detailed and simplified FEMs of aerospace mechanisms
• Develop product environmental test requirements, including vibration, shock and strength, tailored around industry standards such as SMC‑S‑016 and NASA GEVS
• Make technical recommendations based on engineering judgment and interpretation of analysis results
• Mentor and train other engineers
• Develop and validate product finite element models and their supporting documentation for internal and external use
• Support anomaly and failure analysis of space vehicles and mechanisms

• Bachelor of Science in a relevant engineering field
• 2+ years finite element analysis experience
• Experience analyzing metallic assemblies

• Bachelor of Science in a relevant engineering field
• 5+ years finite element analysis experience, including static, dynamic and non‑linear
• Proficiency analyzing complex assemblies
• Strong familiarity with aerospace industry structural analysis standards
• Demonstrated ability to mentor other engineers

• MS in a relevant engineering field
• Excellent communication and problem‑solving skills
• Proficiency with Simcenter Nastran and Femap software
• Experience analyzing mechanisms
• Experience analyzing non‑metallic materials and composites
• Experience with fatigue analysis and fracture mechanics
• Experience with shock analysis techniques
• Experience modeling free‑body dynamic events
• Experience using implicit and explicit non‑linear solvers
• Thermal analysis experience

• 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 exposure to dust, fumes and moderate levels of noise

Base Pay Range (MD Only): $93,400 - $135,500 USD.

Employees may receive company equity and access to a robust benefits package including top tier medical HMO, PPO & a 100% company‑sponsored HSA plan option, dental and vision coverage, 3 weeks paid vacation and 7 days sick leave per year, 11 paid holidays per year, flexible spending and dependent care savings accounts, paid parental leave, disability insurance, life insurance, and access to a 401(k) retirement plan with company match.

Other perks include…