Rocket Lab Looking for Senior Spacecraft Operations Engineer at Auckland City, Auckland Full Time

• The opportunity to work on innovative and ground breaking technology
• Access to world leading experts to develop your career
• A vibrant team culture with social activities throughout the year

About Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab is the global leader in small satellite launch. Our mission is to open access to space to improve life on Earth. There are endless possibilities for what we can achieve with better access to space, and that access is now a reality thanks to Rocket Lab. Collaboration is at our core – every idea is heard, and everyone makes a difference. Teams are nimble, decisions are made quickly, and we are action-oriented.

About the role

Rocket Lab is seeking a Spacecraft Operator to support the development of the space operations capability in NZ and supporting on-orbit operations of Rocket Lab’s Photon satellites, as well as mission operations for MethaneSAT. This role is focused on space operations and requires a strong ops/science payload background as well as a breadth and depth of experience working with operator training and certification.

The Spacecraft Operations team is responsible for maintaining the health and safety of Rocket Lab’s growing fleet of spacecraft and ensuring that mission objectives and SLAs are met. The team’s goal is to maximize the value Rocket Lab can create from a constantly changing fleet of diverse spacecraft. The Spacecraft Operations team also works closely with related teams, such as the spacecraft design, AIT, flight software, RF etc, to help improve both the ground and satellite-based capabilities over time.

Essential skills

• Significant spacecraft operations experience essential
• Involved in training and certification of spacecraft operators
• Understanding of orbital mechanics and spacecraft systems
• Expertise in one or more of: spacecraft operations, spacecraft power systems, attitude control systems, orbital mechanics, propulsion, thermal design, RF communications, embedded software or a similar relevant field.

Desirable skills

• Science payload space operations preferred
• Mission operations planning preferred
• Software development (python/ruby/other high-level languages)
• Exposure to modern development practices – git, CI/CD, cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP )
• Flight director experience ideal

Rocket Lab Employee Benefits

• The opportunity to work on innovative and ground breaking technology
• An employee stock purchase program
• Access to world leading experts to develop your career
• Unlimited barista coffee, fruit and snacks
• Rocket Lab merchandise – T-shirts, mission patches etc.
• Discounted health insurance with Southern Cross
• Additional parental leave entitlements
• A vibrant team culture with social activities throughout the year

Important Information:

For security reasons background checks will be undertaken prior to any employment offers being made to an applicant. These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that you be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the United States’ International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Under these Regulations, you may be ineligible for this role if you do not hold citizenship of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union or a country that is part of NATO, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality. For more information on these Regulations, click here http://www.pmddtc.state.gov/r