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Rocket Lab is seeking a Head of Mission Design & Flight Dynamics to lead the discipline across all missions and locations within the Space Systems division. This is a strategic leadership role overseeing a global, multi-site team responsible for spacecraft mission design, flight dynamics analysis, development, and operations.
You will own the vision and direction of the Mission Design & Flight Dynamics technology roadmap, balancing live mission delivery with long-term capability growth. Key responsibilities include driving measurable progress toward greater automation and efficiency, providing mentorship and clarity to the Flight Dynamics team during development and operational campaigns, and leading a geographically distributed team supported by regional Team Leads.
Your focus will be on strategic leadership, technical forecasting, emergent risk response, and cross-functional decision-making. You will maintain strong technical awareness across critical interfaces including Spacecraft Operations, Flight Software, Guidance/Navigation/Control, Ground Software, and Systems Engineering.
Rocket Lab's Space Systems division delivers ambitious missions including NASA's CAPSTONE lunar mission, orbital re-entry enabling microgravity manufacturing, and twin spacecraft launched to Mars in partnership with UC Berkeley and NASA. The company designs and builds everything from bespoke satellites to full constellations, supported by vertically integrated, in-house components.
Required qualifications include a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering or related field, plus 8+ years of applied spacecraft flight dynamics and/or operations experience, including relevant software development and testing. You must demonstrate strong capability to balance complex parallel tasks, operate under significant pressure in operational and development environments, and motivate geographically distributed teams through complex technical challenges. Background in orbit determination or trajectory optimization is preferred, along with experience in hiring, performance management, and compensation cycles.
