Senior Supplier Development Engineer I/II – Electrical

The posting, as Rocket Lab wrote it

ABOUT ROCKET LAB

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. Come shape the future with us.

SUPPLY CHAIN

Rocket Lab’s Supply Chain team is responsible for the flow of all materials, products, and components through the business. With many of our own products functioning as critical components to our own and our customers’ missions, the Supply Chain team has a direct impact on the success of our rocket and satellite programs. They set up the assembly kits that enables our technicians to put together our Electron rockets, manage inventory, look after shipping and receiving, manage direct and indirect procurement, and inspect and ensure that all of our materials and products are compliant and up to standard. They are the chain that links our teams together, and are critical to our success.

SENIOR SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER I /II - ELECTRICAL

Based out of Rocket Lab's headquarters in Long Beach, CA, the Senior Supplier Development Engineer I/II – Electrical is the primary technical owner of the supply base for a broad portfolio of electrical hardware. This role is responsible for leading the end-to-end industrialization of suppliers from source selection and process qualification through NPI, PPAP, and production ramp, thereby ensuring that every supplier can deliver conforming hardware at rate, on cost, and on schedule.

This is a hands-on, supplier-facing role requiring deep commodity knowledge across electrical domains, including but not limited to PCBAs (Printed Circuit Board Assemblies), wire harnesses, connectors, sensors, power systems, and electro-mechanical assemblies. The SDE operates proactively at the intersection of design, manufacturing, procurement, and quality. They are the ultimate internal advocate for supply chain manufacturability and capability.

WHAT YOU’LL GET TO 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 AP

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admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable. Learn more about ITAR here .

Rocket Lab provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment at Rocket Lab, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for the application/interview process for a job in the United States should contact Giulia Johnson at g.biow@rocketlabusa.com. This dedicated resource is intended solely to assist job seekers with disabilities whose disability prevents them from being able to apply/interview. Only messages left for this purpose will be considered. A response to your request may take up to two business days.

FOR CANDIDATES SEEKING TO WORK IN NEW ZEALAND OFFICES ONLY:

For security reasons, background checks will be undertaken prior to any employment offers being made to an applicant. These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that you be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the United States' International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Under these Regulations, you may be ineligible for this role if you do not hold citizenship of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union, or a country that is part of NATO, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality. For more information on these Regulations, click here ITAR Regulations.