Senior Manufacturing Engineer

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.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Manufacturing Engineering powers Rocket Lab’s factories from concept to full-scale production. We turn early ideas into manufacturable designs, build and optimise the systems that make them real, and constantly push for faster, better, smarter ways to build. We engineer the factories that build the rockets, boosting quality, cutting cost, and accelerating build rate.

We're seeking experienced Senior Manufacturing Engineers across multiple disciplines to take ownership of complex products, lead problem-solving initiatives, and drive manufacturing excellence.

We're hiring across four key manufacturing disciplines

Assembly & Integration  – Mechanical, Assembly, Propulsion, Mechanical Test

Avionics & Test  – Electronics manufacturing, electrical test, debugging systems

Composites  – Advanced materials, resins, ablatives, sandwich structures

Machining  – CNC programming, precision manufacturing, GD&T

In your application, please indicate which discipline(s) align with your experience and interests.

Own & Ship

Own products in production as the go-to expert

Drive teams to hit production targets at top quality

Solve & Fix

Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions on failures

Disposition non-conformances on flight hardware using engineering judgment and risk assessment

Bridge production, quality, supply chain, and design engineering for rapid problem-solving

Build & Improve

Create bulletproof production procedures and processes

Design reliable assemblies and test fixtures

Develop mission-critical test methods for safety-critical systems

Champion Lean/Six Sigma continuous improvement

Lead & Scale

Drive design reviews as DFM/DFT expert

Launch new products and revisions into production

Plan and execute capital equipment upgrades with business cases

Implement planning, quality, ERP, and data systems

Mentor & Deliver

Train engineers and production teams

Break down complex projects and deliver on time

Establish and execute project plans autonomously

Maintain product manuals and lessons-learned docs

The Must-Haves

Engineering degree (Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Chemical, Materials, or related)

5+ years manufacturing/production/process engineering in the trenches

Well-tested debugging complex systems on the factory floor

You ship results independently and lead teams to do the same

You influence stakeholders, assess risk fast, and implement lasting solutions

Thrive in high pressure environments – can hustle and built for speed

Your Specialty (one or more)

Avionics & Test: Expert-level debugging of electro-mechanical systems, instrumentation (oscilloscopes, power supplies, sensors, serial devices)

Composites: Deep knowledge of resins, ablatives, sandwich structures, tooling, and manufacturing processes

Machining: Advanced GD&T, inspection methods, CAM software (3/5-axis CNC), 3+ years shop experience

Assembly & Integration: Led mechanical assembly, integration, propulsion, or mechanical test operations

Extra Edge

Aerospace/defence/high-reliability manufacturing background

Lean/Six Sigma certified

ERP/PLM systems (Siemens TeamCenter, Infor LN)

DFMEA, PFMEA, Fault Tree, root cause/corrective action expert

SPC, capacity modelling, value stream mapping

Environmental testing (vibe, shock, thermal, vacuum)

Mentored or led engineers

WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU

You own it. Problems become solutions. Documentation gets done. Projects ship on time. You communicate clearly, lead when needed, support teammates always, and show up ready to build the future.

We take delivery incredibly seriously. Failure is not in our DNA. The work is hard, demanding, and not for the faint-hearted.

You don't go to Mars working eight to five, Monday to Friday. If you're a high performer, hungry for work with genuine impact where your engineering excellence directly shapes space exploration, national security, and critical infrastructure, you've found your place.

In return, you'll solve problems that actually matter alongside experts who run toward challenges, not away from them.

If this resonates with you, apply today!