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Salary: USD 116,800 - 160,600 / annual
Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Program Manager to lead the Space Sensing & Domain Awareness program, overseeing advanced optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensing payloads and optical systems. Based at Rocket Lab's Long Beach headquarters, you will serve as the program authority, owning the technical roadmap and strategic make/buy decisions from prototype through flight qualification and into scalable production.
You will command the full lifecycle of EO/IR sensing payloads and optical systems, taking them from concept through qualification, production, and flight operations. You'll lead multiple active programs simultaneously, making architectural decisions with Chief Engineers and navigating complex trade-offs in pointing stability, jitter, sensitivity, and revisit rates. This is a high-ownership role where you'll personally dive into program-threatening problems alongside your team.
Key responsibilities include building and leading a team of teams across optics, electronics, software, and data chain functions; managing high-stakes subcontracts and strategic supplier partnerships; synchronizing cross-functional efforts to maintain speed and quality; and serving as the primary point of contact for U.S. Government tracking, warning, and surveillance customers. You'll also partner with Business Development and Strategy on proposals and technical narratives defining the next generation of space domain awareness.
You'll foster a culture where strong people take smart, healthy risks, the best idea wins regardless of source, and intelligent misses are treated as the cost of moving fast. You'll coach and develop the next generation of program and team leaders while protecting schedule and margin across the supply chain.
Rocket Lab 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.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in physics, math, science, or other technical discipline
- 5+ years of aerospace program management experience
- Demonstrated track record of owning a technical program, product, or team end-to-end and carrying it across the finish line under real pressure (hiring based on what you've shipped, not years logged)
- Evidence of moving real hardware and software from prototype toward scalable, flight-ready production
- Understanding of the nuances of EO/IR sensing, optical payloads, or focal plane arrays
- Experience identifying and neutralizing technical, schedule, or supply-chain risk before it impacts the mission
- Active TS/SCI clearance (required)
- U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent resident status, or eligible to obtain required ITAR authorizations
NICE-TO-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS:
- Proven playbook for transitioning low-volume prototypes into scalable production without sacrificing mission reliability
- Deep experience navigating National Security Space (NSS) or large sensing and tracking constellations
- Demonstrated success negotiating, capturing, and executing large U.S. Government contracts
- Master's degree in Engineering, Optics, or related field enabling peer-review of sensing roadmaps
- Fluency in Systems Engineering, trade studies, interface control, requirement integrity, and tools like Jira, Confluence, and ERP
- Multiple program cycles or 8+ years in aerospace/defense (though hardest thing shipped is weighted over count)
