Senior Technical Program Manager I/II - Space Sensing & Domain Awareness (TS/SCI)

About The Role

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.

SPACE SYSTEMS

At Rocket Lab, we’re not just launching rockets - we're building the future of space. Our Space Systems team builds everything from complete spacecraft and precision payloads to the components and subsystems that allow them to thrive in space, including solar panels, flight software, star trackers, optical systems, separation systems, radios, and more. Our Space Systems team has enabled more than 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration and in-space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives. The team has built spacecraft, payloads, and components for missions to the Moon and Mars, working with partners including NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force.

Senior Technical Program Manager, Space Sensing & Domain Awareness (TS/SCI)

Based at Rocket Lab's global headquarters in Long Beach, CA, you are the program authority for our advanced optical and infrared sensing payloads. You own the technical roadmap and strategic "Make/Buy" decisions from the first "blank sheet" prototype, through flight qualification, and into scalable production. This is a high-ownership role: you'll immerse yourself in the operational realities of the tracking, warning, and surveillance mission to turn their hardest problems into concrete technical milestones, and you'll be the person the program runs on.

• Command the Lifecycle: Build and lead the team that takes EO/IR sensing payloads and optical systems from a "blank sheet" concept through qualification, scalable production, and flight, and own the technical roadmap that grows the team's core capabilities.
• Lead the Team of Teams: Run multiple active programs at once, make sound architectural calls with Chief Engineers, navigate the hardest trade-offs in pointing stability and jitter, sensitivity, and revisit, and personally dive into the most program-threatening problems alongside the team.
• Build the Bench: Grow a culture where strong people take smart, healthy risks and the best idea wins, no matter who it comes from, we back bold calls and treat an intelligent miss as the cost of moving fast, and coach and develop the next generation of program and team leaders.
• Forges the Supply Chain: Manage high-stakes subcontracts and suppliers as strategic partners essential to the mission, protecting schedule and margin.
• Inblock Excellence: Synchronize cross-functional teams across optics, electronics, software, and the data chain and clear roadblocks quickly so the team keeps moving at speed and quality stays high.
• Influence the Future: Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned U.S. Government tracking, warning, and surveillance customers, and partner with BD & Strategy on proposals and technical narratives that define the next generation of space domain awareness.

Qualifications

• As a Senior Technical Program Manager I:
• Bachelor’s degree in physics, math, science, or other technical discipline
• 5+ years of program management experience
• A demonstrated track record of owning a technical program, product, or team end to end and carrying it across the finish line under real pressure
• Evidence you've moved real hardware and software from prototype toward scalable, flight-ready production
• Understanding of the nuances of EO/IR sensing, optical payloads, or focal plane arrays
• Experience identifying technical, schedule, or supply-chain risk and neutralizing it before it impacts the mission
• Active TS/SCI clearance

• As a Senior Technical Program Manager II:
• Bachelor’s degree in physics, math, science, or other technical discipline
• 8+ years of program management experience
• A demonstrated track record of owning a technical program, product, or team end to end and carrying it across the finish line under real pressure
• Evidence you've moved real hardware and software from prototype toward scalable, flight-ready production
• Understanding of the nuances of EO/IR sensing, optical payloads, or focal plane arrays
• Experience identifying technical, schedule, or supply-chain risk and neutralizing it before it impacts the mission
• Active TS/SCI clearance

What To Expect

We’re on a mission to unlock the potential of space to improve life on Earth, but that’s not an easy task. It takes hard work, determination, relentless innovation, teamwork, grit, and an unwavering commitment to achieving what others often deem impossible. Our people out-think, out-work, and out-pace. We pride ourselves on having each other’s backs, checking our egos at the door, and rolling up our sleeves on all tasks big and small. We thrive under pressure, work to tight deadlines, and our focus is always on how we can deliver, rather than dwelling on the challenges that stand in the way.