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Salary: USD 116,000 - 146,000 / annual
Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems. The Space Systems team has enabled over 1,700 missions for NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force, including spacecraft and components for lunar and Martian exploration.
Rocket Lab Robotics develops advanced robotic and automated systems supporting the company's high-reliability manufacturing, test, and mission-enabling operations. This team integrates engineering, production, supply chain, quality, and operations to build hardware, tooling, and integrated systems.
The Senior Project Manager will be based onsite in Pasadena, CA, reporting to the Director of Programs. You will plan, execute, and deliver multiple concurrent projects across robotics and electromechanical product lines, serving as the primary project interface to customers and internal stakeholders while maintaining disciplined control of cost, schedule, and scope.
Key responsibilities include:
- Own the full project lifecycle—planning, execution, monitoring, and closeout—for multiple concurrent projects
- Develop and maintain detailed project plans, work breakdown structures (WBS), integrated master schedules (IMS), and budgets
- Establish and enforce planning and control baselines; track cost, schedule, and technical performance against baselines
- Serve as primary customer contact; organize and lead milestone reviews (Kickoff, PDRs, CDRs)
- Lead cross-functional teams (Design, Electrical, Software, Manufacturing) coordinating priorities across simultaneous projects
- Manage technical and project-level risks; identify scope changes and contractual modifications
- Drive action item tracking using agile project management tools; lead regular status meetings
- Compile and present project status, schedule, and cost reporting to customers and senior leadership
- Support proposal development with Business Development, including basis-of-estimate generation
- Identify and implement process improvements across the project management function
- Mentor junior Project Administrators and Project Managers
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Aerospace, Systems Engineering, or related technical field (or equivalent education/experience)
- 5+ years of project management experience in aerospace, defense, or advanced manufacturing with demonstrated success delivering projects on time and within budget
- Proven ability to manage multiple simultaneous small-to-mid-size projects with competing priorities and deadlines
- Experience managing full project lifecycle from proposal support through contract closeout
- Strong command of project planning tools; high proficiency in MS Project required
- Working knowledge of Earned Value Management (EVM/EVMS) principles and experience applying them to program cost and schedule reporting
- Experience with government contracting environments and familiarity with ITAR-controlled programs
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams in matrixed organization without direct authority over all contributors
- Proficient in MS Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
- Must be a U.S. Citizen (required for program compliance)
Nice-to-have qualifications:
- PMP (Project Management Professional) certification or active pursuit
- Experience with space robotics, electromechanical systems, or motion control products
- Familiarity with agile project management methodologies and tools (Jira, Confluence)
- Experience with EVMS in DoD or NASA contracting context
- Established relationships with NASA, FFRDC, or DoD program offices
- Experience supporting Business Development through capture activities and proposal coordination
- Graduate-level degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or Project/Systems Management
