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Rocket Lab is seeking a Fluid Component Engineer II to design, build, and test fluid components for the Neutron launch vehicle, a medium-lift reusable rocket. You will own fluid component designs from concept through launch, including valves, actuators, and regulators that enable aircraft-like reusability and reliability.
Key responsibilities include: creating and maintaining analytical models to size components from first principles and predict sealing, force balance, structural, and timing behavior; developing component product definitions through CAD models, technical drawings, and test procedures; leading design, manufacturing, and test reviews; managing vendor and internal schedules during design, build, and test sprints; hands-on prototyping and testing with machinists, build technicians, manufacturing engineers, and test engineers; leading test campaigns to qualify components for flight; conducting root cause failure investigations and implementing design fixes; updating existing designs to reduce cost and mass while increasing build rate; and reviewing engine and vehicle test data to validate component performance.
Required qualifications: Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering; 2+ years of mechanical design and assembly experience with CAD, FEA, 2D drawings, and GD&T; strong first-principles engineering knowledge; knowledge of metal and polymer material properties, fabrication, fastening, assembly, and testing methods; strong fundamentals in structural analysis, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and electromechanical systems; demonstrated ability to solve complex design problems in fast-paced environments; and hands-on prototyping, assembly, and pressure testing experience.
Desirable qualifications include 5+ years of aerospace valve-specific design, build, and test experience; experience with cryogenic oxygen and methane components; fluids analysis tools (REFPROP, GFSSP); and Siemens NX proficiency.
