Flight Software Engineer at Rocket Lab USA in LONG BEACH, California

Job Description:

Why Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab is the global leader in small satellite launch. Our mission is to open access to space to improve life on Earth. 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 team is 500 people strong and we're adding to it every week. Collaboration is at our core - every idea is heard and everyone makes a difference. Teams are nimble, decisions are made quickly and we are action-oriented.

While other companies talk about it, we do it!

The Photon Program

Rocket Lab is seeking exceptional engineers to work on its Photon satellite 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. Photon is being developed to enable a broad range of missions in low-Earth orbit and beyond. Photon was recently selected by NASA to deploy a CubeSat to the Moon in 2021 as a pathfinder for Gateway, the program to return humans to the lunar surface.

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 software development and on-orbit operations. Your days will be spent developing software architecture, writing and testing software, and iterating based on lessons learned from your software running in space. The ideal candidate will have a strong software development background and will be familiar spacecraft and satellite systems.

Flight Software Engineer

Rocket Lab has multiple Flight Software Engineer positions available for immediate hire. As the Flight Software Engineer you develop and test spacecraft application software for the Photon satellite program.  In this role, you will work in multidisciplinary teams involving hardware development, ground software / operations, and systems engineering.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Collaborate with systems engineers and embedded systems engineers in developing requirements and managing interfaces with hardware and software within the vehicle.


• Architect and develop application software for flight and ground systems.


• Develop documentation for operation and interface with software products.


• Develop and participate in test campaigns ranging from unit-level to automated testing at the subsystem and system-level.

Required Skills & Experience

• An engineering degree in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, or equivalent qualification.


• 5-15 years of demonstrated applicable experience in both software development and program management.


• Software development in Linux and embedded environments, as well as C and C++


• Experience with software running in autonomous systems (satellites preferred, but other examples would include UAVs, self-driving cars, etc).


• Experience with networked communications and/or distributed systems.


• Document management & systems engineering experience.


• Experience working with subcontractors and vendors.


• Demonstrated success working in a dynamic environment with multiple priorities.


• Demonstrated success meeting aggressive development schedules.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Direct experience writing satellite software.


• Knowledge of the radiation environment of space and its impact on software architecture.

Important Information:
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.

Rocket Lab USA is an Equal Opportunity Employer, employment with Rocket Lab USA is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.