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Salary: USD 171,800 - 229,000 / annual
Rocket Lab Optical Systems is seeking a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to support the U.S. Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) and related programs. You will develop deep learning neural networks and computer vision algorithms for advanced Electro-Optical (EO/IR) image processing in space-based payloads serving Department of Defense and Intelligence Community customers.
In this role, you will:
- Develop computer vision algorithms and deep neural networks for image and video processing chains
- Collaborate with researchers and engineers on AI, machine learning, and computer vision initiatives
- Work with physics-based image simulation frameworks to scale training and validation datasets
- Design, train, and deploy machine learning models for optical systems applications
- Perform rapid prototyping and enhanced development for integration into operational systems
- Troubleshoot, debug, and maintain existing and new systems
- Stay current with ML research and evaluate new tools, frameworks, and techniques
Rocket Lab's Space Systems division has enabled over 1,700 missions, including interplanetary exploration, in-space manufacturing, and national security initiatives. The Optical Systems team brings more than 20 years of electro-optical and infrared systems innovation, delivering responsive, scalable sensing solutions across all orbital domains.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree and 12+ years of experience, OR Master's degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field
- Strong background in mathematics and machine learning fundamentals: model selection, architecting, training, validation, testing, and deployment
- Proven experience building deep learning neural networks (e.g., CNNs) for computer vision, image processing, or analysis (object detection, image segmentation, tracking)
- Strong mathematical foundation, particularly linear algebra and optimization theory
- Proficiency in Python
- Experience with deep learning libraries (Keras, TensorFlow, PyTorch, etc.)
- Software engineering fundamentals: version control, testing, CI/CD, containerization
- U.S. citizenship required due to program requirements
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance
NICE TO HAVE:
- Proficiency in C/C++/Rust
- Experience curating quality, real-world datasets for training deep learning models
- TS/SCI security clearance
