Avionics Design Manager

Avionics Design Manager

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 space. The rockets and satellites we build, and launch enable some of the most ambitious and vital space missions globally, supporting scientific exploration, Earth observation and missions to combat climate change, national security, and exciting new technology demonstrations.

Our Space Systems team builds everything from complete spacecraft, precision payloads to the components and subsystems that allow them to thrive in space, like solar panels, flight software, star trackers, optical systems, separation systems, radios, and more. Our Space Systems team has enabled more than 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration, in-space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives.

The Avionics Design team in Rocket Lab's Space Systems division is responsible for full end to end development of Avionics hardware for our satellite platforms. Our scope includes power systems, data management, telemetry, flight computers, thermal control systems, propulsion control systems, and payload interfaces. The team designs complex solutions that can be configurable to mission needs. Engineers on our team have a great degree of ownership over their designs. Our work is crucial to the operation of our spacecraft and ultimately mission success!

Based out of Rocket Lab's global headquarters in Long Beach, CA, as the Manager of Avionics Design, you will lead a team of Electrical Engineers to design, prototype, fabricate, test, and produce Avionics hardware for Rocket Lab Space System's spacecraft programs. This role includes people and technical lead responsibilities. You will work with the director/manager of the department to plan project assignments for your team and be responsible for on-time delivery of hardware to programs. You will also get to serve as a technical leader in our spacecraft electrical system architecture.

What You'll Get To Do:

• Technical Leadership
• People Leadership

You'll Bring These Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical, aerospace, computer engineering, or other engineering degree
• 8+ years of electrical engineering or avionics design experience
• Experience in leading avionics projects for satellite development programs
• Proficiency in electronic principles and electrical systems, including power electronics, communication systems (e.g. RS-422, SPI, Ethernet, CAN bus), signal integrity, and grounding
• Demonstrated ability to utilize fundamental electrical circuit design principles with discrete and integrated circuits to create a production ready product that meets requirements
• Thorough understanding of space environments and considerations, including radiation tolerance, needed in electronics design for in-orbit applications
• Experience in the end-to-end development of electronic product design, including schematic capture, PCBA layout, design verification testing, analysis, reviews, documentation and production
• U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements

These Qualifications Would Be Nice To Have:

• Master's or PhD in electrical, aerospace, computer engineering; or other engineering degree
• Prior management experience of engineering teams
• Knowledgeable in FPGA firmware and ability to create basic images to test hardware
• Experience with LT Spice, Altium, and/or Siemens software suite (eg Teamcenter)
• Experience with requirement management tools such as JAMA
• Hands-on experience with testing electrical subsystems and assemblies, thermal vacuum or random vibration, and hardware-in-the loop (HITL) testing
• Proficiency with instrumentation, interfaces, and sensors, including power supplies, oscilloscopes, serial devices, accelerometers, thermocouples, RTDs, and 4-20mA sensors
• Familiar with regulatory requirements, markings, designators, and controls for ITAR controlled hardware
• Working experience with engineering organization tools such as Confluence, Jira, Sharepoint, and Smartsheets
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment with competing priorities
• Familiar with environmental and risk reduction testing for space products including random vibration, thermal vacuum, thermal cycling, and EMI/EMC
• Demonstrated success working in a dynamic environment with multiple priorities
• Demonstrated success meeting aggressive development schedules

Additional Requirements:

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to focus
• Regularly required to sit, use hands and fingers, operate computer keyboard and controls, and communicate verbally and in writing
• Must be physically able to commute to buildings
• Occasional exposure to dust, fumes and moderate levels of noise