Senior Systems Engineer I - RF Mission Solutions

Rocket Lab  · Long Beach, CA  · Aug 31, 2026

Rocket Lab is the end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems that keep the world connected, protected, expand humanity’s reach to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. We move fast, build real hardware for meaningful missions, and make the impossible routine. Come shape the future with us. 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, precision payloads to the components and subsystems that allow them to thrive in space, like 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, 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. Whether it’s a single high-performance spacecraft, constellation, or the vertically integrated components that help them get to space — our world class Space Systems team is empowering some of the boldest and most ambitious space missions. SENIOR SYSTEMS ENGINEER I – RF MISSION SOLUTIONS Based out of Rocket Lab's global headquarters in Long Beach, CA, Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior RF Mission Architect who thrives at the front end of the mission lifecycle. We operate on a work fast, bid fast, build fast cadence. We design and manufacture high-performance payload products that serve as the building blocks for...

Responsibilities:
Architect Clean-Sheet Payloads: Run early mission trades, define payload topologies, analog vs digital conversion boundary, waveform processing constraints, or integration of cryptographic requirement for optimal mission profiles.
Drive Technical Capture: Work directly with customers and our leadership team to frame complex RF trade-offs, write the core technical architecture narratives for key proposals, and defend your design choices.
Shape the Hardware Roadmap: Use insights from customer mission needs to directly influence our internal R&D, payload prototyping, and technology investments.
Bridge Concept to Flight: Partner with payload hardware, software, and spacecraft teams to make sure the architectures you pitch are buildable and transition cleanly into flight development.
Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or other technical discipline
5+ years of experience in aerospace or defense RF systems
Demonstrated track record architecting complex multi-function RF, SAR/radar, or digital communication payloads from concept to proposal win
Active TS/SCI security clearance
Advanced degree in RF/microwave, electromagnetics, radar, or related field
Experience in antennas, arrays, RF front‑end architectures, TR modules, DSP
Radar techniques (SAR, MTI, STAP), performance modeling
Advanced waveforms, protected tactical standards, spectrum management
Digital payload concepts and RF‑compute convergence
Radiation effects and resilient RF architectures
Tools: STK, MATLAB, Python, HFSS, CST
Understanding of spacecraft bus systems and their impact on payloads
Clearance Required: TS/SCI
Apply Now
Company
Rocket Lab
Location
Long Beach, CA
More jobs in Long Beach
Job Type
Full-time
Category
RF / Microwave
Posted
Aug 31, 2026
Source
Original posting ↗