Job brief: Lead, Manufacturing Engineer

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 (4 days ago); last confirmed on the board 2026-11-08.
• 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: $149,000 to $161,000 a year
• Job type: Not stated
• Where: Silver Spring, MD · PSC Office
• Posted: 2026-09-11

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

Level: Lead / staff. The title says "Lead".

Must have

• To excel in this role, you must be a detail-oriented leader, self-motivated, and capable of working both independently and collaboratively.
• 5+ years of relevant work experience in Manufacturing, Production, or Process Engineering
• 8+ years of experience in production or manufacturing engineering
• 1+ years managing or leading teams
• 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.

Conditions

• Ability to travel up to 10% of the year

Main duties

• Lead a passionate team that’s tackling complex challenges, delivering on exciting missions, and making an impact on the future of space!
• Lead and manage a team of Manufacturing Engineers, providing mentorship, guidance and performance management to achieve team and organizational goals.
• Partner with Product Development teams to incorporate Design for Manufacturing principles into separation systems ensuring manufacturability at scale.
• Design, procure, install, and validate production lines and factory systems for assembly, testing and verification of spaceflight mechanisms.
• Drive continuous improvements across manufacturing and test.

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 Silver Spring, MD: $183k a year (8 listings, 3 employers). This listing is 15% lower.
• Across Rocket Lab's 451 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. Which of the listed places is this role based in?
2. What are the interview steps, and when should I expect to hear back?

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Next steps

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• 351 more engineer jobs within 25 miles, on the job map with pay.
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