About the Job
Our Electron rocket has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered more than 230 satellites to orbit, all while we work to develop Neutron, our upcoming medium-lift, reusable launch vehicle for larger constellation deployment. Our Space Systems business designs and builds our e...
Rocket Lab’s Electron team is responsible for building, testing, and launching our Electron rocket across our launch sites and test facilities in the United States and New Zealand. Electron is one of the world’s most frequently-launched rockets, and our team behind its success are diligent, move fast, and have each ...
As a Manufacturing Engineer II – Vehicle Integration, you will enable Rocket Lab’s production teams to achieve required production rates with the highest quality. You will take ownership of products released to production, remove blockers, disposition non-conformance tickets, perform root-cause analysis, and impleme...
Key Responsibilities
Non-Conformance Support:
Identify, analyze, and resolve manufacturing discrepancies and non-conformances
Use substantiated engineering judgment and risk assessment to disposition non-conformances on flight hardware
Lead problem containment and root cause/corrective action investigations
Collaborate with production teams to identify and drive quality-related initiatives and improvements
Perform structured root cause analysis of in-process failures
Liaise between production, quality, supply chain, and design engineering for complex problem solving and process changes
Take ownership of assigned products that are production-ready, acting as subject matter expert
Develop and maintain product manuals and lessons-learned documentation
Execute product improvements, including design and qualification activities
Develop and document production procedures and processes for repeatable, reliable manufacturing
Develop solutions for reliable (electro)mechanical assemblies and associated test fixtures
Develop and execute unique test methods for mission-critical and safety-critical hardware/systems
Provide engineering support for day-to-day production and quality processes
Train production personnel and leadership on new and existing processes and procedures
Contribute to and steer design reviews, acting as an expert in design for manufacture and test
Oversee introduction and implementation of new products and product revisions
Identify, plan, and execute capital equipment, machine, and layout upgrades to meet production requirements, including preparation of business cases
Lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean/Six Sigma tools and techniques
Develop, introduce, and maintain new planning, production, quality, ERP, data collection, and analysis processes
Provide solutions and ideas when faced with engineering challenges
Share knowledge on effectiveness of theories and concepts
Navigate and complete daily tasks within technical systems and interface with related systems
Create, approve, and improve technical documentation
Correctly assess risk, communicate, and implement solutions with long-term mitigation
Assume ownership for improvements and challenges in assigned responsibilities
Break down tasks, plan, estimate, and prioritize in alignment with company goals
Identify engineering challenges and implement solutions to improve cost, quality, reliability, and delivery
Establish project plans and execute on time without supervision
Communicate effectively with peers and subordinates, set meeting agendas, and ensure timely completion of actions
Volunteer to support cross-functional tasks and projects, and train others as needed
Demonstrate professionalism, punctuality, and adherence to company policies and standards
Ensure health and safety policies and procedures are followed at all times
Required Skills & Abilities
Essential:
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Electrical, Mechanical, Computer, or Mechatronics Engineering, or related field
3+ years’ experience as a Manufacturing, Production, or Process Engineer
Hands-on technical experience debugging complex systems in a manufacturing environment
Strong communicator with proven ability to deliver KPIs with little to no supervision, both individually and as part of a team
Can-do approach and flexibility to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
Experience with ERP/PLM Systems (Siemens Team Center, Infor LN)
Knowledge of production quality metrics
Experience with environmental and production acceptance testing (vibration, shock, thermal, vacuum)
Understanding of instrumentation, interfaces, and sensors (power supplies, oscilloscopes, serial devices, accelerometers, thermocouples, RTDs, 4-20mA sensors)
Experience with DFMEA, PFMEA, Fault Tree Analysis, Pareto analysis, root cause and corrective action
Experience with capacity modeling, process mapping, Lean/Six Sigma, and value stream mapping
SPC knowledge and experience applying statistical methods to track process capability and performance
Domestic and international travel may be required
Additional duties as reasonably required
Adherence to company policies and procedures is expected
Rocket Lab is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
