Senior Production Engineer I
About the Role
ABOUT ROCKET LAB
Rocket Lab is the end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems that keep the world connected, protected, expand humanity’s reach to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. We move fast, build real hardware for meaningful missions, and make the impossible routine. Come shape the future with us.
SPACE SYSTEMS
At Rocket Lab, we’re not just launching rockets — we're building the future of space. Our Space Systems team builds everything from complete spacecraft, precision payloads to the components and subsystems that allow them to thrive in space, like solar panels, flight software, star trackers, optical systems, separation systems, radios, and more.
Our Space Systems team has enabled more than 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration, in-space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives. The team has built spacecraft, payloads, and components for missions to the Moon and Mars, working with partners including NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force. Whether it’s a single high-performance spacecraft, constellation, or the vertically integrated components that help them get to space — our world class Space Systems team is empowering some of the boldest and most ambitious space missions.
SENIOR PRODUCTION ENGINEER I
Based out of Rocket Lab's site in Albuquerque, NM as part of the SolAero Technologies acquisition, the Senior Production Engineer I is responsible for developing and maintaining processes for building advanced solar panels for space applications and ensuring they won’t fail on orbit. You will support the Panel Engineering Manager and the Production organization, with deliverables required for internal leadership, board of directors, and investors.
WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO:
- Function as the technical champion of our manufacturing processes, solving problems in real-time with the Operators and Technicians building spaceflight hardware
- Be the liaison between the technical/process parts of the business and the operations/execution arm on the production floor
- Proactively remove hurdles from those executing manufacturing processes and maintain an environment where manufacturing operators and technicians can excel.
- Develop a practical understanding of the design, construction, manufacturing methods and operating principles of series interconnected multi-junction solar cells.
- Develop a practical understanding of the effects that external variables