Spacecraft Structural Engineer I

Rocket Lab · 4015 USA Space Systems

Pay: $82,400–$125,325/yr
Where: Long Beach, CA
Posted: 6 days ago

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.

What you get

Define, process, and interpret static and dynamic ground test & flight data, including: sensor selection, data acquisition and validation, and environmental determination (random vibration, shock, quasi-static, acoustic, pressure, and thermal)
Perform, validate, and document structural analyses of primary and secondary vehicle structures, including: finite element model verification and validation, material selection, performance of trade-off studies, and mass optimization
Perform structural and dynamic simulations, including: static, modal, random vibration, buckling, and thermoelastic
Work closely with design and test engineers to iterate through design concepts, determine test requirements, and demonstrate positive structural margins
Define test requirements and directly support testing of vehicle subsystems and components
Lead technical projects and programs, as required, both within analysis and across disciplines and teams
Help implement new theory and tools within the team and establish best practices in areas of technical expertise
Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, or other engineering discipline
Eligible to obtain and maintain a security clearance
U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements