Lead, Manufacturing Engineer

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.

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.

As a Lead, Manufacturing Engineer based at Rocket Lab's site in Silver Spring, Maryland, you will lead a team dedicated to transforming innovative spaceflight mechanism concepts, specifically separation systems, into manufacturable designs. You will play a critical role in designing, building and optimizing the systems and processes that bring these ideas to life while continuously driving improvements for faster, better, smarter ways to build.

In this role, you will focus on improving manufacturing processes through feasibility studies, supporting product design for manufacturability, and leading factory setup and optimization. This position involves troubleshooting production issues, collaborating with cross-functional teams, driving process improvements, and supporting organizational efficiencies through change management and business system enhancements. To excel in this role, you must be a detail-oriented leader, self-motivated, and capable of working both independently and collaboratively.

Lead a passionate team that’s tackling complex challenges, delivering on exciting missions, and making an impact on the future of space!

• Lead and manage a team of Manufacturing Engineers, providing mentorship, guidance and performance management to achieve team and organizational goals.
• Conduct feasibility studies and research and development projects to evaluate and implement advanced manufacturing technologies.
• Partner with Product Development teams to incorporate Design for Manufacturing principles into separation systems ensuring manufacturability at scale.
• Design, procure, install, and validate production lines and factory systems for assembly, testing and verification of spaceflight mechanisms. Take engineering ownership of production lines to remove blockers, improve yield and increase build efficiency.
• Triage and diagnose production issues, conduct root cause analyses, implement corrective actions to mitigate risks and ensure long-term reliability.
• Drive continuous improvements across manufacturing and test.
• Contribute to change management, assessing risk and impact of design process changes.
• Support business system and process improvements to enhance organizational effectiveness and operational efficiency.

• B.S. in Engineering
• 5+ years of relevant work experience in Manufacturing, Production, or Process Engineering
• Proven hands‑on experience…