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Rocket Lab's Optical Systems division, based in Tucson, Arizona, is seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer to lead the electrical engineering function for mission-critical space domain and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems serving Department of Defense and Intelligence Community customers.
In this role, you will split your time between individual contributor technical work (approximately 80%) and functional management responsibilities (approximately 20%). You will manage and mentor a team of electrical engineers, fostering a collaborative, high-performance environment while maintaining your own hands-on involvement in complex electrical system design and analysis.
Key responsibilities include:
**Team Leadership & Development**: Manage electrical engineering team members, set clear objectives, provide regular feedback, and support professional growth. Develop a strong team culture focused on accountability and meeting deadlines. Manage functional budgets, generate ROI assessments for process improvements and tool development, and control overhead charging rates.
**Technical Expertise**: Provide expert guidance on complex electrical challenges. Stay current with advancements in electrical engineering and lead adoption of best practices. Serve as a core assessor in engineering gate reviews and peer review events to ensure quality and task closure.
**Electrical Design & Analysis**: Lead and participate in design, analysis, and optimization of electrical systems for space applications. Use software tools, simulations, and analytical techniques to assess performance, power management, impedance matching, digital/high-frequency analysis, and nodal analysis. Determine architecture and lead detailed electronics analysis using both digital and analog circuit design skills.
**Cross-Functional Collaboration**: Work closely with mechanical, optical, and systems engineers to ensure seamless integration of electrical systems into satellite platforms. Foster effective communication across departments.
**Quality & Documentation**: Prepare technical reports, project documentation, proposals, and presentations for internal and external stakeholders. Implement rigorous quality control measures ensuring compliance with industry standards and customer requirements. Support design-for-manufacturing processes.
Rocket Lab's Space Systems team has enabled over 1,700 missions, including interplanetary exploration, in-space manufacturing, and national security initiatives. The Optical Systems division builds innovative electro-optical and infrared systems for responsive, scalable sensing across all orbital domains.
