Job brief: Senior Supplier Development Engineer I/II – Mechanical

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: $122,600 to $228,875 a year
• Job type: Not stated
• Where: Long Beach, CA · EDC
• Posted: 2026-09-02 · over 60 days ago

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

Level: Senior. The title says "Senior".

Must have

• Own the APQP process at suppliers, driving completion of all quality planning deliverables — process flow, PFMEA, control plan, MSA/GR&R, and dimensional results — on schedule and…
• define required submission levels, disposition supplier packages, and ensure process capability (Cpk) is demonstrated on critical and significant characteristics to enable at rate…
• Minimum 5 years’ experience working in a regulated industry Aerospace, Medical, Automotive, Industrial, or similar
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Manufacturing Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
• Minimum 8 years’ experience working in a regulated industry Aerospace, Medical, Automotive, Industrial, or similar
• Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Rocket Lab Employees must be a U.S.

Main duties

• Lead end-to-end supplier industrialization for mechanical 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 CNC ma…
• Lead Design for Manufacturability (DFM) reviews with design engineering at the earliest program stage, providing actionable feedback on feature complexity, d…
• Own the APQP process at suppliers, driving completion of all quality planning deliverables — process flow, PFMEA, control plan, MSA/GR&R, and dimensional res…
• Drive the PPAP program as a production readiness gate;

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 mechanic and technician jobs in Long Beach, CA: $76k a year (24 listings, 6 employers). This listing is 131% higher.
• 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. 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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Next steps

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• 189 more mechanic and technician jobs within 25 miles, on the job map with pay.
• All 451 open Rocket Lab jobs, and how Rocket Lab hires.
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