About this job

Rocket Lab is redefining how we access space by providing frequent and reliable launch to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) – we’re opening access to space to improve life on Earth.

Rocket Lab is the global market leader in dedicated small satellite launch, with a strong leadership team, solid financial backing and a full launch manifest.

To meet the growing demand of dedicated small satellite launch, Rocket Lab is assembling a world-class team.

Rocket Lab is its people. We are seeking passionate, highly-skilled individuals who are comfortable working in a dynamic, technically challenging environment where they will be given ownership of processes from start-to-finish.

The Photon Program

Rocket Lab is seeking exceptional engineers to work on its recently-announced Photon program. Photon is a first-of-its-kind platform in the small satellite industry: a versatile satellite bus that is also an integral part of the launch vehicle. Engineers within the Photon team have a unique opportunity to help shape this space system and, given the high launch cadence of Electron, have unparalleled opportunities for end-to-end hardware development and on-orbit operations. The successful candidate will have a strong set of technical skills, will have experience in related projects, and will thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Senior Electrical Hardware Engineer

Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Electrical Hardware Engineer to assist in the development of avionics for its Photon vehicle. This person will work collaboratively with the FPGA and software design engineers and participate in all aspects of electrical hardware design, from requirements definition through design, implementation, testing, and production. The Photon development team has frequent opportunities to test and operate their systems on orbit.

Responsibilities

• Develop PCBA requirements in collaboration with other engineering disciplines.
• Schematic capture using Altium Designer.
• Circuit analysis including power, tolerance, and reliability.
• PCB layout using altium Designer.
• PCBA design verification testing and system integration test support.
• Manufacturing support.

Profile

Required Skills & Experience:

• A Bachelor of Science degree (or greater) in Electrical or Computer Engineering (or equivalent).
• 4+ years of experience in electrical hardware design including schematic capture and PCB layout.
• Design proficiency with processors, FPGAs, switch mode power supplies, high speed data interfaces, precision analog instrumentation.
• Proficiency with Altium designer for schematic capture and layout.
• Proficiency with basic electronic lab equipment (o-scopes, DMMs, signal generators, etc).
• Demonstrated success working in a dynamic environment with multiple priorities.

Desired Skills & Experience:

• Experience designing for radiation environments including SEU/SEL/TID impact and mitigation.
• Experience with design and manufacturing of IPC 6011 class 3 and J-STD-001 PCBs.
• Experience designing rigid-flex PCBs.
• FPGA design experience.
• Embedded software development for ARM core processors over the full stack including Linux.
• Proficiency with JIRA and JAMA.

To conform to US Government space technology export regulations, applicants must be a US citizen, lawful permanent resident of the US, protected individual as defined by 8 USC 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorization from the US Department of State.