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Salary: USD 82,400 - 103,000 / annual
Rocket Lab is the end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems that keep the world connected, protected, and expand humanity's reach to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The Space Systems team has enabled more than 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration and in-space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives, working with partners including NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force.
The Harness Design Engineer I will be based at Rocket Lab's global headquarters in Long Beach, CA, and will primarily work on design of electrical harnesses for spacecraft. Responsibilities include organizing interfaces, selecting components, specifying split locations and lengths, and generating design documentation to pass to the spacecraft engineering team for accurate CAD modeling. The role involves heavy involvement in electronics and assisting in the execution of electrical engineering activities for spacecraft and space systems components, including support for avionics designers with circuit design, analysis, prototyping, and testing.
Harness Design Responsibilities:
- Perform or support design tasks such as harness layout, connector and back shell selection, wire selection, and shielding for spacecraft
- Generate pinout tables for harness connectors at both ends of the assembly based on spacecraft interconnect diagrams
- Create and maintain BOMs for harnessing in the product lifecycle management (PLM) tool
- Assist in creating documentation for electrical system schematics and harness designs
Avionics Responsibilities:
- Develop test plans and procedures for avionics subsystems and components
- Perform analysis and evaluations to optimize spacecraft avionics circuits for performance, reliability, and manufacturability
- Participate in internal design and customer-facing review meetings as a representative of the avionics electrical engineering team
- Work in multi-disciplinary teams to assist in design of electronic assemblies for satellite and spacecraft programs
Compensation includes company stock as part of the total compensation package, an industry-leading Employee Stock Purchase Program (15% discount), top-tier medical plans (HMO, PPO, zero-cost HDHP with HSA company contribution), dental and vision coverage, paid vacation and sick time, 11 paid holidays, flexible spending and dependent care accounts, paid parental leave, disability and life insurance, 401(k) with company match, subsidized EV charging, onsite fitness centers, discounted gym memberships, complimentary snacks and beverages, 50% employee discount on merchandise, and various other employee discounts.
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:
- Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, or other engineering discipline
- Experience with electrical engineering or avionics
- US citizenship required due to program requirements (ITAR compliance)
QUALIFICATIONS PREFERRED:
- Master's or PhD in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, or other engineering discipline
- Experience in the aerospace/defense industry
- Experience supporting satellite development programs and satellite operations
- Thorough understanding of the space environment, orbital mechanics, and rigid body dynamics
- Experience with LT Spice, Altium, and/or Siemens software suite (Teamcenter)
- Experience with requirement management tools such as JAMA
- Experience with testing electrical subsystems and assemblies, thermal vacuum or random vibration, and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing
- Proficiency in electronics principles and electrical systems, including power electronics, communication systems (RS-422, SPI, Ethernet, CAN bus), signal integrity, and grounding
- Proficiency with instrumentation, interfaces, and sensors, including power supplies, oscilloscopes, serial devices, accelerometers, thermocouples, RTDs, and 4-20mA sensors
- Ability to work in a dynamic environment with competing priorities
