Senior Flight Software EngineerActive

Rocket Lab
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The opportunity

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…

What you'll do

  • Architect flight software solutions across three domains: sustaining engineering for current missions on orbit, next-generation FSW for autonomous satellite constellations (including C&DH, GNC/ACS, FDIR, mode management, and autonomy), and embedded software for hardware products like thrusters, reaction wheels, radios, star trackers, and IMUs

  • Lead system trade studies and design solutions in collaboration with: Avionics Hardware, GNC, and Operations teams, balancing technical excellence with schedule and budget constraints across a diverse portfolio

  • Develop and maintain robust regression testing frameworks that span flight: software and embedded software product lines, enabling rapid, reliable verification across missions and component releases

  • Guide multi-disciplinary engineering teams through anomaly resolution,: technical risk identification and mitigation, and delivery of complex aerospace systems from concept through on-orbit operation

  • Define technical standards and best practices for the team, facilitate: architecture meetings, approve designs, and communicate FSW architecture clearly to internal and external stakeholders

  • Mentor junior engineers through code reviews, training delivery, and: on-the-job coaching while role-modeling professional behavior and technical excellence

What they're looking for

  • Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical: Engineering, or similar , with minimum 5 years of professional experience in a relevant discipline
  • Deep technical expertise in C/C++, avionics software, embedded systems: development on resource-constrained hardware, and ideally direct experience with aerospace system development, integration, and on-orbit operations
  • Strong software development skills including REST APIs, Linux development: environments, TypeScript/JavaScript, NodeJS, Angular or similar frontend frameworks (React, Vue), Git, and Python
  • Excellent problem-solving and communication abilities , with proven capacity: to manage complex projects, adjust to evolving requirements, clearly articulate technical concepts, and inspire teams to deliver