Senior AI&T Engineer II​/Principal

Senior AI&T Engineer II/Principal Engineering

Location:

Tucson, AZ Clearance:
Secret Salary: up to $152k Senior / $174k Principal

• Lead day-to-day production operations for complex space hardware, ensuring hardware flows efficiently from build through test while maintaining Rocket Lab's commitment to fierce efficiency and beautiful execution
• Translate program schedules into executable production plans, driving throughput, resolving blockers, and ensuring every build meets quality and delivery commitments
• Lead a multidisciplinary production team (technicians, planners, quality, manufacturing engineers) with clarity, urgency, and accountability, we hustle
• Implement and refine production processes, tooling strategies, and build documentation to continually improve cycle times, first-pass yield, and hardware consistency
• Own production metrics, including schedule performance, labor efficiency, material readiness, and defect trends; execute rapid root-cause and corrective-action processes
• Collaborate closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and AIT to ensure alignment across all build stages, we have each other's back
• Coordinate and lead product reviews, audits, cross-functional standups, and readiness events
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, automation, process simplification, layout optimization, to keep the factory ever evolving and performing at the highest level
• Support customer milestones, major hardware deliveries, and integration events

• Active U.S. Government Security Clearance with TS/SCI eligibility
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, or related field
• 8+ years of production or manufacturing experience in aerospace hardware, high-reliability systems, or equivalent complex assemblies
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing production teams or large work cells.
• Strong understanding of production control, build scheduling, configuration management, and hardware traceability
• Proven ability to drive execution, manage bottlenecks, and deliver hardware on schedule