or apply directly on Rocket Lab Corporation's site. We never take the application ourselves.
Is this posting real?
- This role has been open
- 15 days Rocket Lab Corporation's roles stay open a median of 42 days
- Reposted
- No
- Salary listed
- No 0% of Rocket Lab Corporation's roles list one
- Ghost-job risk at Rocket Lab Corporation
- low 0 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
- 2026-09-17
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
As a Principal Electric Propulsion Engineer at Rocket Lab, you will lead the development of propulsion systems for spacecraft, overseeing both system-level and component-level projects. Your role involves conducting performance calculations, managing requirements, and guiding the engineering team through the entire development process, from design to testing. Additionally, you will mentor team members and contribute to engineering process improvements while ensuring effective communication with stakeholders.
- benefits
- 5/5
- freshness
- 4/5
- 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
- 12+ years of experience in propulsion system development or equivalent high-performance field
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering (aerospace, mechanical, mechatronics, or other technical engineering discipline)
- Expertise in propulsion system modelling, static and transient analysis, and model validation using test data
- Experience with end-to-end development process including gathering requirements, detailed design, qualification, production, and acceptance testing
- Strong grasp of all steps in the Systems Engineering V and risk-based decision making
- Experience working on electric propulsion systems
Nice to have
- A genuine passion for engineering, curious mindset, and willingness to learn
- Comfortable working with high levels of ambiguity
- Makes decisions using basic engineering principles, available literature and standards, technical risk assessments, test data, and physics-based models
- Practice in identifying the necessary steps to achieve high level technical goals, scheduling them in a plan, and managing delivery against that plan
- Experience with Jama
What you get
- Anticipated annual equity grant value based on function, level, experience, and other factors
- Competitive base pay
- 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
Worth weighing
- No specific salary listed, but total compensation ranges from $212,000 to $350,000 USD including base and equity
- Role involves significant responsibility and leadership, which may lead to high expectations
- Position may require prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, and computer work, along with 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 2026-09-17. PitchMeAI is not the employer.
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