About this job

NOTE: Position will be located at our Auckland, New Zealand facility.

About Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab is the global leader in dedicated small satellite launch. Launching from right here in New Zealand, we design and build innovative technology to give small satellites a premium ride to orbit.

Small satellites play a crucial role in our day-to-day lives – they connect us, keep us safe, help us understand our planet and manage our impact on it, and they enable us to innovate and explore. There are endless possibilities for what we can achieve with better access to space, and that access is now a reality thanks to Rocket Lab.

Our relentlessly innovative team is behind Electron, the world’s only truly commercial small satellite launch vehicle in operation today. With multiple orbital launches under our belt and a record of 100% mission success, we’re opening access to space to improve life on Earth. We’ve built a world class team with a reputation for doing the impossible. Collaboration is at our core – every idea is heard, and everyone makes a difference.  Every day, we pursue ideas that challenge, excite and demand more of us, and we make them real. Be a part of it.

Responsibilities

The Recovery Systems Engineer is responsible for the system development and design for manufacture of the Electron first stage’s main parachute system, which will be used to slow the first stage from supersonic velocities and facilitate final capture.  The Special Projects Team is developing the systems required to recover and re-use the Electron first stage, and the Recovery Systems Engineer will play a critical role in the development of the main descent system.  A ‘fail fast’ approach is used to meet aggressive schedules and quickly build institutional knowledge, and t his approach will also be implemented for the main parachute system.

Profile

• 5+ years’ experience with mechanical and structural design
• Experience in parachute system design, ideally including high altitude, low supersonic and transonic regimes
• Experience with design for manufacture of parachute systems
• Experience with NX CAD or similar CAD software and production of manufacturing drawings
• Experience with testing parachute systems
• Goal orientated attitude focusing on achieving the requirements in aggressive timelines
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Attention to detail
• Ability to work in a team and to build effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders

Additional Information

• Position will be based out of Auckland, New Zealand. No remote work.
• Will consider direct hire or 1-year fixed term.
• Relocation assistance and sponsorship provided.