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Rocket Lab Corporation

Principal Spacecraft GNC Engineer - Secret Clearance

Rocket Lab Corporation · Long Beach, CA

Posted about 3 months ago

or apply directly on Rocket Lab Corporation's site. We never take the application ourselves.

Is this posting real?

This role has been open
88 days
Rocket Lab Corporation's roles stay open a median of 86 days
Reposted
No
Salary listed
No
0% of Rocket Lab Corporation's roles list one
Ghost-job risk at Rocket Lab Corporation
high
455 stale, 12 reposted of 455 open
Hiring momentum
683 roles opened in the last 90 days
↑ up vs. the prior 90 days
Last confirmed on the employer's board
2026-10-30

Measured from postings appearing on and disappearing from Rocket Lab Corporation's own greenhouse board since 2026-08-03. Full hiring picture for Rocket Lab Corporation.

About this role

The Principal Spacecraft GNC Engineer at Rocket Lab is responsible for leading the development of Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) systems for various spacecraft. This role involves mentoring a team, designing flight software and algorithms, developing spacecraft autonomy tools, and coordinating with multiple teams to ensure mission success. The engineer will engage in the entire engineering life cycle from concept development to integration and testing, while maintaining schedules and reporting on technical status.

Our read on this posting3.2out of 5
benefits
5/5
freshness
1/5
career value
5/5
role clarity
5/5
pay transparency
0/5

Scored from the posting itself — how clearly the role is described, how much it says about pay and benefits, and how recently it was listed. Not a judgement of Rocket Lab Corporation as an employer.

What you need

  • B.S and 12+ years of industry experience in GNC/ADCS
  • Active Secret clearance, with ability to obtain TS/SCI
  • Prior experience directly interfacing with aerospace customers in the commercial or government sectors
  • U.S citizenship is required, due to program requirements

Nice to have

  • MS or PhD
  • 2+ years of RPOD design and operations experience
  • Active TS/SCI clearance
  • Experience in Jira planning and workflow
  • Prior experiencing mentoring a team of younger engineers

What you get

  • Company stock as part of total compensation package
  • Employee Stock Purchase Program with a 15% discount on company stock
  • Top-tier medical plans (HMO, PPO, and a zero cost HDHP option with significant HSA company contribution)
  • Dental and vision coverage
  • Paid vacation and sick time
  • 11 paid holidays

Worth weighing

  • No salary listed, but base pay range is $198,000 — $330,000 USD for CA only
  • The role requires active security clearance and U.S. citizenship due to program requirements
  • The position may involve prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, and occasional exposure to noise, dust, and fumes in production areas

Summarised from Rocket Lab Corporation's posting. Read the full original.

Listed by Rocket Lab Corporation on their greenhouse job board, last confirmed open on 2026-10-30. PitchMeAI is not the employer.

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