Senior Ground Software Engineer I
Rocket Lab Corporation5 hours ago
Base Salary
$132k - $198k/yr
Responsibilities
- Own major portions of the architecture and evolution of web-based ground software platforms for spacecraft operations.
- Translate mission needs into scalable ground system designs with flight software developers, mission operations personnel, and systems engineers.
- Deploy, configure, and optimize the Rocket Lab Ground Data System for diverse mission profiles.
- Establish monitoring, alerting, and reliability frameworks to detect and mitigate issues proactively.
- Provide technical direction and architectural guidance for mission resilience, system integration, and maintainability.
- Advise leadership on ground software strategy, risks, and emerging technologies.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or another technical discipline.
- At least 5 years of relevant professional software development experience.
- Proven experience architecting web-based software systems at scale.
- Strong systems-level thinking and ability to balance performance, security, and maintainability trade-offs.
- U.S. citizenship required due to program requirements.
- Active Secret clearance or ability to obtain and maintain one.
- Preferred qualifications include full-stack development, aerospace ground or mission operations experience, distributed systems and microservices expertise, database architecture, Kubernetes orchestration, authentication and authorization frameworks, and CCSDS standards knowledge.
- Active TS clearance, Python web framework experience, end-to-end testing experience, and leadership in system design and delivery are preferred.
Benefits
- Competitive base pay with company stock as part of total compensation and an Employee Stock Purchase Program offering a 15% discount.
- Medical plans including HMO, PPO, and a zero-cost HDHP option with HSA contribution, plus dental and vision coverage.
- Paid vacation and sick time, 11 paid holidays, paid parental leave, disability and life insurance, and a 401(k) with company match.
- Flexible spending and dependent care accounts.
- Subsidized EV charging, onsite fitness centers where available, discounted gym memberships, snacks and beverages, employee discounts, and a 50% merchandise store discount.
- Based in Rocket Lab’s global headquarters in Long Beach, California; the role may involve prolonged sitting, standing, walking, computer work, and occasional production-area exposure to noise, dust, and fumes.