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

ABOUT ROCKET LAB

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. The rockets and satellites we build and launch enable some of the most ambitious and vital space missions globally, supporting scientific exploration, Earth observation and missions to combat climate change, national security, and exciting new technology demonstrations.

Rocket Lab’s Optical Systems division solves mission‑critical space domain and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) challenges for Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) customers. We aim to revolutionize the space‑based payload market with innovative and novel designs for space, terrestrial, and airborne environments. Building on more than 20 years of electro‑optical and infrared systems innovation, Optical Systems delivers responsive, scalable sensing solutions across all orbital domains.

We are looking for a Senior AI&T Engineer II/Principal (Production Manager) – Secret Clearance based at our Optical Systems site in Tucson, AZ. In this role you will lead production execution for complex space hardware, focusing on integration, verification, and hardware readiness, managing build operations, test flow, material coordination, and team alignment to ensure timely, on‑budget delivery to mission‑critical quality standards.

• Lead day‑to‑day production operations for complex space hardware, ensuring efficient flow from build through test while maintaining Rocket Lab’s commitment to efficient 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.
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