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Salary: USD 82,400 - 113,300 / annual
Rocket Lab is seeking a Spacecraft Structural Engineer I to join the Space Systems team at their Long Beach headquarters. This role contributes to the analysis, design validation, and continuous improvement of Rocket Lab's suite of spacecraft and space components. The Space Systems team has enabled over 1,700 missions, including interplanetary exploration, in-space manufacturing, and national security initiatives, with partnerships including NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force.
In this position, you will define loads and environments, perform detailed simulations and physics-based structural analysis, guide design decisions, and validate analysis and system performance through testing. You will support the Vehicle Design Director and broader Space Systems organization with deliverables for internal leadership, the board of directors, and investors.
Key responsibilities include:
- Define, process, and interpret static and dynamic ground test and flight data, including sensor selection, data acquisition and validation, and environmental determination (random vibration, shock, quasi-static, acoustic, pressure, and thermal)
- Perform, validate, and document structural analyses of primary and secondary vehicle structures, including finite element model verification and validation, material selection, trade-off studies, and mass optimization
- Perform structural and dynamic simulations including static, modal, random vibration, buckling, and thermoelastic analysis
- Work closely with design and test engineers to iterate through design concepts, determine test requirements, and demonstrate positive structural margins
- Define test requirements and directly support testing of vehicle subsystems and components
- Lead technical projects and programs as required, both within analysis and across disciplines
- Help implement new theory and tools within the team and establish best practices in areas of technical expertise
QUALIFICATIONS:
Required:
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or other engineering discipline
- Eligible to obtain and maintain a security clearance
- U.S. citizenship required due to program requirements (ITAR compliance)
- Structural analysis experience in the aerospace industry
- Experience using NX Nastran, NX CAD, and Teamcenter packages
Nice to have:
- Master's or PhD in mechanical engineering or other engineering discipline
- Active security clearance
- Experience analyzing additive manufactured parts
- Experience with sensor selection and data post-processing/interpretation (accelerometers, strain gauges, etc.)
- Experience in structural analysis of composites (laminate design, joint design, materials characterization, environmental effects)
- Familiarity with nonlinear material simulation, including metal plasticity, elastomers, and adhesive joints
- Experience in spacecraft-level structural test campaign design, execution, data processing, and validation
