Senior AI&T Engineer II/Principal Engineering
Location: Tucson, AZ Clearance: Secret Salary: up to $152k Senior / $174k Principal
What You'll Get To Do: Lead day-to-day production operations for complex space hardware, ensuring hardware flows efficiently from build through test while maintaining Rocket Lab's commitment to fierce efficiency and beautiful execution Translate program schedules into executable production plans, driving throughput, resolving blockers, and ensuring every build meets quality and delivery commitments Lead a multidisciplinary production team (technicians, planners, quality, manufacturing engineers) with clarity, urgency, and accountability, we hustle Implement and refine production processes, tooling strategies, and build documentation to continually improve cycle times, first-pass yield, and hardware consistency Own production metrics, including schedule performance, labor efficiency, material readiness, and defect trends; execute rapid root-cause and corrective-action processes Collaborate closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and AIT to ensure alignment across all build stages, we have each other's back Coordinate and lead product reviews, audits, cross-functional standups, and readiness events Drive continuous improvement initiatives, automation, process simplification, layout optimization, to keep the factory ever evolving and performing at the highest level Support customer milestones, major hardware deliveries, and integration events You'll Bring These Qualifications As Senior Engineer II:Active U.S. Government Security Clearance with TS/SCI eligibility Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, or related field 8+ years of production or manufacturing experience in aerospace hardware, high-reliability systems, or equivalent complex assemblies Demonstrated leadership experience managing production teams or large work cells. Strong understanding of production control, build scheduling, configuration management, and hardware traceability Proven ability to drive execution, manage bottlenecks, and deliver hardware on schedule
