Job brief: Senior Systems Engineer II

What JoRoute checked · Checked by JoRoute

• Listed on Rocket Lab's own job board. JoRoute does not take listings from job ads or recruiters.
• First seen by JoRoute 2026-11-04 (3 days ago); last confirmed on the board 2026-11-07.
• The apply link opens job-boards.greenhouse.io, the address Rocket Lab's board gives for this job.
• No other listing with this title and place on this board in the last 90 days.
• No layoff notices (WARN) under this name in the state files JoRoute reads.

What the listing says · Employer's own words, not checked

• Pay: $164,500 to $255,275 a year
• Job type: Not stated
• Where: Pasadena, CA · Motiv
• Posted: 2026-08-27 · over 60 days ago

What the job asks · Employer's own words, not checked

Level: Senior. The title says "Senior".

Must have

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, software, robotics, systems engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of engineering experience developing, integrating, or delivering robotic, mechatronic, or complex electromechanical systems.
• U.S. citizenship required due to program requirements.
• Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Rocket Lab Employees must be a U.S.
• as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S.
• 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' Internationa…

Main duties

• Own system architecture, requirements, interfaces, verification methods, and acceptance criteria throughout the development lifecycle.
• Develop, decompose, and manage system requirements and interface control documents (ICDs), maintaining traceability from customer/mission needs down to subsy…
• Lead cross-functional technical execution and drive major technical decisions, trades, risks, and issue closure.
• Lead integration and troubleshooting of robotic hardware, controls software, ROS/ROS2 applications, sensors, actuators, and test systems.
• Develop and maintain CONOPS, system requirements, ICDs, technical budgets, verification plans, and technical decision records.

Lines copied from the posting, not rewritten. "Preferred" or "nice to have" items are not listed as must-haves.

How it compares · Compared by JoRoute from listings

• Typical listed pay for engineer jobs in California: $184k a year (2,180 listings, 73 employers). This listing is 14% higher.
• Across Rocket Lab's 452 open listings, 24% of those with a posting date were first posted more than 60 days ago. How Rocket Lab hires

What nobody outside the employer knows · Not known

• Whether the role is already filled or on hold: employers often leave listings up.
• How many people applied, and who reads the applications.
• Where in the published range an offer would land.

Ask before you apply

1. Is this role still open, and when do you hope to fill it?
2. Which of the listed places is this role based in?
3. What are the interview steps, and when should I expect to hear back?

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