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Rocket Lab Corporation

Principal Engineer, Space Payloads

Rocket Lab Corporation · Tucson, AZ

Posted 9 days 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
9 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 Engineer for Rocket Lab's Optical Systems, you will lead the design and development of advanced space-based electro-optical sensor systems. Your role involves overseeing a multi-disciplinary team through all development phases, ensuring mission success while managing technical baselines, risks, and stakeholder engagement. You will also mentor engineers and contribute to proposals, making a direct impact on national security and space capabilities.

Our read on this posting3.0out of 5
benefits
1/5
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

  • Bachelor’s degree in technical discipline
  • 12+ years of professional experience
  • Active Secret/Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility
  • Proven ability to deliver complex aerospace or defense systems on cost, on schedule, and to performance requirements
  • Prior experience as a chief engineer or technical authority on a program of record or major defense contract
  • Experience leading large-scale proposals, including technical volumes and customer-facing reviews

Nice to have

  • Master’s degree or PhD in technical discipline
  • Recent experience supporting space missions, with an emphasis on payload integration
  • Five+ years working with EO/IR, radar, or hyperspectral sensor technologies, including performance modeling and exploitation
  • Five+ years developing command & control, mission planning, or tactical ground systems for space assets
  • Experience with CONOPS development and enterprise-scale architecture(s)

Worth weighing

  • No salary listed
  • Role involves working in classified environments
  • Significant travel may be required (up to 25%)
  • High-pressure work environment with tight deadlines

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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