Development 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 ENGINEERING AT ROCKET LAB: Engineering is the heart of Rocket Lab. We build world-class rockets and spacecraft and we launch them, often. As a Development Engineer, you'll design, test and refine the systems that get Electron to orbit: tanks, interstages, fairings, separation and landing mechanisms, aerodynamic controls, fluid systems and thermal protection. First sketch to flight-ready hardware. You'll iterate in CAD with analysis and manufacturing engineers, release the drawings that get parts built, then push your hardware to its limits on the test stand until it's ready to fly. It's hands-on, fast-paced problem solving where rapid innovation meets the highest safety standards and your hardware launches. WHAT YOU'LL GET TO DO: You'll own hardware. Real, load bearing, propellant-holding, separation-critical hardware: Structures - propellant tanks, interstages, composite fairings Mechanisms - stage separation systems Fluids - pressurant systems, propellant management, ignition systems, reaction control systems Thermal - thermal protection systems, HVAC And you'll own it end to end. You'll work shoulder to shoulder with analysis engineers who'll tell you what the math says, and manufacturing engineers who'll tell you what's buildable. Then you'll find the answer that satisfies both, plus gravity, plus the schedule. Some days you're deep in a dynamic dataset, other days you're on the production floor refining designs with critical feedback sessions from technicians or in the development lab testing concepts or flight ready designs. This is not just a desk job. YOU'LL BRING THESE QUALIFICATIONS: A degree in aerospace, mechanical, mechatronic, fluidic engineering or equivalent experience 3+ years developing and testing high-performance mechanical systems, ideally structures and/or mechanisms Hands-on fluency with test instrumentation load cells, accelerometers, strain gauges, pressure transducers from setup through to interpreting static and dynamic data Strong analytical instincts: you can zoom in on a fastener and out to the full vehicle, and make the right call at both scales Excellent communication skills and a genuine team-first mindset A relentless bias toward done efficiently, effectively, and to the highest quality standard Tenacity, a can-do attitude, and sound judgement when the clock is running THESE QUALIFICATIONS WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE: Experience in one of the following domain areas: Composites structures, Large scale structural testing, Cryogenic systems, Pressurised systems, Mechanical moving assemblies Experience with CAD software such as NX…