Senior Quality Engineer II, Secret Clearance Security Clearance

Position: Senior Quality Engineer II, Secret Clearance with Security Clearance
SENIOR QUALITY ENGINEER II - SECRET CLEARANCE Rocket Lab’s Optical Systems division solves mission-critical space domain and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) challenges for Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) customers. Our vision is to revolutionize the space-based payload market with innovative and novel designs for space, terrestrial, and airborne environments. Building on more than 20 years of electro-optical and infrared systems innovation from Geost, Optical Systems delivers solutions to the warfighter for responsive, scalable sensing solutions across all orbital domains.

As a Senior Quality Engineer II based at our Optical Systems site in Tucson, AZ, you will play a critical role in ensuring the highest levels of quality, reliability, and mission assurance for advanced space payload programs. In this role, you will lead program-level quality activities, review and implement contractual and technical requirements, and ensure effective quality flow-down to internal teams, suppliers, and subcontractors.

Join a driven team of pioneers relentlessly tackling challenging projects, delivering on the impossible, and making an impact on the future of space! WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO:
Act as the quality assurance and mission assurance representative for assigned space programs, ensuring compliance with customer, regulatory, and internal requirements
Lead program-level quality planning, execution, and oversight across design, manufacturing, integration, and test phases
Review customer contracts, statements of work (SOWs), and technical requirements to identify applicable quality, mission assurance, and regulatory requirements
Ensure effective flow-down of contractual, quality, and mission assurance requirements to internal implementation through procedures, work instructions, inspection plans, and test documentation
Review, define, and approve quality and mission assurance flow-downs for suppliers and subcontractors through purchase orders, subcontracts, quality clauses, and quality notes
Partner with Supply Chain, Contracts, Engineering, and Program Management to ensure subcontractor SOWs and PO packages include complete and compliant quality requirements
Verify supplier and subcontractor implementation of flowed-down requirements through audits, source inspections, NCR/RCCA activity, and performance monitoring
Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions using structured methodologies such as 8D, Fishbone, and 5-Why
Lead and support risk management activities, including FMEA and program risk assessments
Support and participate in internal, external, customer, and regulatory audits (AS9100, ISO 9001, customer audits)
Develop, maintain, and utilize Power BI dashboards to analyze and communicate quality performance, trends, risks, and program health metrics (e.g., NCR trends, RCCA aging, FPY, supplier performance)
Support and leverage Power Apps and SharePoint-based tools to standardize, automate, and improve quality workflows such as NCRs, RCCAs, inspections, approvals, and data collection
Prepare and present program quality status, mission assurance metrics, and risk summaries to internal leadership and external customers
Mentor junior quality engineers and promote a quality-first, data-driven culture across the organization
Support continuous improvement initiatives and other quality-related tasks as assigned
Support integration, environmental, and qualification test campaigns by providing quality and mission assurance oversight before, during, and after test execution
Review and approve test readiness artifacts, quality requirements, and acceptance criteria to ensure compliance prior to test start
Participate in on-site and off-site test campaigns as required to support mission assurance, anomaly resolution, and data review
Travel as required to support test campaigns, supplier activities, audits, source inspections, and program milestones
Perform other duties as assigned in support of quality strategy, compliance, and cross-functional program execution YOU’LL BRING THESE

QUALIFICATIONS:

Active U.S. Government Secret security clearance
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, or a related technical discipline
8+ years of experience in quality engineering within aerospace, defense, or space systems
Strong working knowledge of AS9100, mission assurance principles, and aerospace quality systems
Demonstrated experience reviewing contracts, SOWs, and customer requirements and supporting effective requirement flow-down to internal teams and external suppliers or subcontractors
Proven experience leading root cause analysis, corrective actions, and risk management activities

Experience with supplier and subcontractor quality management, audits, and performance metrics
Experience using Power BI to develop or interpret quality dashboards and performance metrics
Experience using Power Apps, SharePoint, or similar digital tools to support quality data collection and workflow automation
Strong…