Senior AI&T II​/Principal Engineering; Production Manager - Secret Clearance

Senior AI&T II/Principal Engineering (Production Manager) – Secret Clearance

Location: Tucson, AZ

Rocket Lab is an end‑to‑end space company delivering responsive launch services, complete spacecraft design and manufacturing, payloads, satellite components, and more – all with the goal of opening access to space. Our rockets and satellites enable some of the most ambitious and vital space missions globally, supporting scientific exploration, Earth observation, climate‑change counter‑measures, national security, and new technology demonstrations.

We are looking for a Senior AI&T II/Principal Engineering (Production Manager) based at our Optical Systems site in Tucson, AZ. In this role, you will lead production execution for complex space hardware with a focus on integration, verification, and hardware readiness. You will manage build operations, test flow, material coordination, and team alignment to ensure hardware is delivered on schedule, on budget, and to mission‑critical quality standards, partnering closely with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and AIT teams.

• Lead day‑to‑day production operations for complex space hardware, ensuring efficient flow from build through test while maintaining Rocket Lab’s commitment to fierce efficiency and beautiful execution.
• Translate program schedules into executable production plans, driving throughput, resolving blockers, and ensuring every build meets quality and delivery commitments.
• Lead a multidisciplinary production team (technicians, planners, quality, manufacturing engineers) with clarity, urgency, and accountability.
• Implement and refine production processes, tooling strategies, and build documentation to continually improve cycle times, first‑pass yield, and hardware consistency.
• Own production metrics, including schedule performance, labor efficiency, material readiness, and defect trends; execute rapid root‑cause and corrective‑action processes.
• Collaborate closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and AIT to ensure alignment across all build stages.
• Coordinate and lead product reviews, audits, cross‑functional stand‑ups, and readiness events.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, automation, process simplification, layout optimization, to keep the factory ever evolving and performing at the highest level.
• Support customer milestones, major hardware deliveries, and integration events.

• Active U.S. Government Security Clearance with TS/SCI eligibility.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, or related field.
• 8+ years of production or manufacturing experience in aerospace hardware, high‑reliability systems, or equivalent complex assemblies.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing production teams or large work cells.
• Strong understanding of production control, build scheduling, configuration management, and hardware traceability.
• Proven ability to drive execution, manage bottlenecks, and deliver hardware on schedule.

• Active U.S. Government Security Clearance with TS/SCI eligibility.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, or related field.
• 12+ years of production or manufacturing experience in aerospace hardware, high‑reliability systems, or equivalent complex assemblies.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing production teams or large work cells.
• Strong understanding of production control, build scheduling, configuration management, and hardware traceability.
• Proven ability to drive execution, manage bottlenecks, and deliver hardware on schedule.

• Experience with Space, DoD, or high‑reliability production environments.
• Knowledge of electro‑optical or sensor payload builds.
• Experience implementing lean manufacturing, 5S, Kanban, or similar process‑improvement tools.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., Costpoint, SAP).
• Prior experience in Production Management for complex aerospace hardware.
• Excellent communication and team‑building skills with the ability to motivate high‑performing teams.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job…