Spacecraft Operations Engineer I/II

About this role

Rocket Lab seeks a Spacecraft Operations Engineer to manage satellite fleet health and performance across diverse mission phases, from commissioning through re-entry. You'll develop ground and flight software, automate spacecraft operations, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to support commercial and government missions.

What you'll do

• Design and develop ground software and automation scripts for long-term spacecraft operations
• Create flight software sequences and fault detection/isolation (FDIR) configurations for spacecraft health management
• Support spacecraft assembly, integration, and test activities including thermal vacuum and propulsion stack tests
• Perform validation and verification testing using simulation tools (flatsat, HITL) and maintain continuous integration
• Generate mission requirements, interface specifications, and operational concepts (CONOPS) documentation
• Provide on-call operational support and coordinate across engineering teams in multiple locations

What they're looking for

• Flight software and ground software development
• Spacecraft subsystems knowledge (propulsion, power, attitude control)
• Test automation and continuous integration practices
• Requirements validation and verification
• Spacecraft command and control systems
• Data analysis and test method development
• Cross-functional team collaboration
• Software-driven spacecraft automation