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Rocket Lab Optical Systems, part of Rocket Lab's Space Systems division, is seeking a Senior Software Systems Engineer II to design, develop, and test space-based electro-optical sensors for Department of Defense and Intelligence Community customers. The division has enabled over 1,700 missions, including work with NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force on spacecraft, payloads, and components for missions to the Moon and Mars.
In this role based in Tucson, AZ, you will be responsible for the full systems engineering lifecycle of space-based optical instruments and payloads for airborne and space platforms. Your responsibilities include:
- Design, integrate, and develop software for space-based optical instruments, subsystems, and payloads
- Interpret overall system architecture and derive/allocate software and firmware requirements across interfaces and subsystems
- Develop and maintain technical budgets for vehicle performance, software system requirements, verification techniques, simulations, and test methods
- Provide technical oversight of system software architecture, interfaces, mission assurance, and compliance
- Develop interface specifications, CONOPS definitions, and design documentation in collaboration with team members
- Execute software verification test campaigns on flatsat, development, and flight units, including test setup and formal verification runs
- Support authoring, derivation, and verification of software and firmware requirements with full traceability throughout the development lifecycle
- Participate in technical interchange meetings with internal stakeholders and external partners
- Mentor other engineers on systems engineering, requirements, and V&V methodologies
- Support program and product management activities
- Travel or off-site work as needed
You will work hands-on with flight software and drive technical development of Space Systems missions, understanding the complete software/firmware development pipeline from requirements through build, integration, test, and release.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in engineering (software or computer engineering)
- Active security clearance (required)
- 8+ years of engineering experience in the aerospace industry, with 2+ years directly supporting software development projects and 1+ years in project or team leadership
- Strong knowledge of interpreting organizational, software, and hardware technical documents
- Demonstrable experience in systems software engineering with focus on developing, testing, and integrating space or airborne instruments
- Experience with requirements management tools (JAMA, DOORS, JIRA, Cameo)
- Experience supporting development programs
- U.S. citizenship required due to program requirements and ITAR regulations
NICE TO HAVES:
- Active TS/SCI clearance
- Master's or PhD in engineering (software or computer engineering)
- EO/IR payload integration experience
- Proficiency in system modeling tools (Cameo, MATLAB, Simulink)
- Full Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) experience from requirements through operations and maintenance
- Knowledge of software interfaces and communications protocols
- Hands-on expertise in troubleshooting and resolving system-level issues
- Experience working with minimal supervision on complex projects
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills with multidisciplinary teams
