Senior Supplier Development Engineer I/II – ElectricalActive$102K

Rocket Lab
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The opportunity

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.

What you'll do

  • Lead end-to-end supplier industrialization for electrical hardware from: source selection and process qualification through NPI, PPAP, and rate production ramp.

  • Partner with procurement and engineering to identify, evaluate, and select: suppliers based on process capability, quality systems, and capacity across PCB manufacturing, SMT (Surface Mount Technology), wire harness assembly, connector production, and electro-mechanical integration.

  • Conduct supplier capability assessments during qualification phases,: evaluating tooling maturity, measurement systems, process controls, and workforce qualification against program requirements.

  • Lead Design for Manufacturability (DFM) reviews with design engineering at: the earliest program stage, providing actionable feedback on PCB layout, component selection, trace routing, tolerance stack-ups, and design characteristics that drive cost or quality risk.

  • Own the APQP process at suppliers, driving completion of all quality planning: deliverables — process flow, PFMEA, control plan, MSA/GR&R, and dimensional results — on schedule and to the required standard.

  • Drive the PPAP program as a production readiness gate; define required: submission levels, disposition supplier packages, and ensure process capability (Cpk) is demonstrated on critical and significant characteristics to enable at-rate production.

What they're looking for

  • Lead First Article Inspection (FAI) activities at suppliers and in: coordination with internal quality teams; ensure all findings are resolved to closure within project timelines.
  • Identify systemic performance gaps; own supplier improvement plans and drive: measurable progress against quality, cost, delivery, and capacity targets.
  • Lead root cause and corrective action (RCCA) for supplier quality issues and: escapes, applying structured problem-solving methods (8D, 5-Why) and validating that corrective actions are robust and sustained across all applicable parts and production lines.
  • Apply lean manufacturing and statistical quality tools: including SPC, Cpk trending, and process audits — to drive continuous improvement across the electrical supply base and eliminate sources of recurring defect.