PitchMeAI Jobs
Rocket Lab Corporation

Senior GNC Engineer I - Mission Formulation

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
87 days
Rocket Lab Corporation's roles stay open a median of 85 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
2026-10-29

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 Senior GNC Engineer I - Mission Formulation at Rocket Lab is responsible for the design, modeling, analysis, and testing of Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) systems for launches and missions. This role involves conducting trade studies, performing mission analyses, and collaborating with various engineering teams to develop operational concepts and ensure successful mission execution. The engineer will also engage with external stakeholders to define mission requirements and support hardware testing and flight code development.

Our read on this posting2.8out of 5
benefits
5/5
freshness
1/5
career value
4/5
role clarity
4/5
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 and 5+ years of industry experience in GNC/ADCS
  • Understanding of orbital mechanics and/or closed-loop control systems, preferably launch vehicles
  • Experience with trajectory optimization
  • Proven experience developing real-time control and/or estimation algorithms in autonomous vehicles, preferably launch vehicles
  • Active Secret security clearance OR Ability to obtain and maintain one

Nice to have

  • Active TS/SCI clearance
  • Experience with requirements assessments and interface control document generation
  • Experience with git version control
  • 3+ years’ experience in modelling, simulation and/or control of dynamics systems, particularly rigid bodies
  • 3+ years’ experience with Python development

What you get

  • 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, zero cost HDHP option with significant HSA company contribution)
  • Dental and vision coverage
  • Paid vacation and sick time

Worth weighing

  • No specific mention of modern tech stack or tools used
  • Position requires prolonged periods of sitting, standing, and computer work
  • Active security clearance is a requirement, which may limit candidate pool

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 2026-10-29. PitchMeAI is not the employer.

More roles at Rocket Lab Corporation

All 455 open roles at Rocket Lab Corporation →