Job brief: Principal Program Manager (TS/SCI)

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 (2 days ago); last confirmed on the board 2026-11-06.
• 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: $175,500 to $263,250 a year
• Job type: Not stated
• Where: Long Beach, CA · RL Headquarters
• Posted: 2026-10-28

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

Level: Manager. The title says "Manager".

Must have

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, math, science, or other technical discipline
• 12+ years of experience in the aerospace/space industry
• 8+ years of technical program management experience
• Active TS/SCI clearance
• Advanced Technical Credibility: A master’s degree in engineering or a related field that lets you peer-review technical roadmaps.
• Systems & Toolchain Fluency: You speak Systems Engineering — trade studies, interface control, requirement integrity — and use Jira, Confluence, and ERP to keep program health vis…

Main duties

• Lead the Team of Teams: Run multiple active programs at once, make sound architectural calls with Chief Engineers, navigate the hardest trade-offs in closed-…
• Build the Bench: Grow an engineering culture where strong people take smart, healthy risks and the best idea wins, no matter who it comes from and coach and …
• Own the P&L: Own the program P&L on a Firm Fixed Price basis: build accurate forecasts, hit revenue and margin milestones on time, prepare credible program a…

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 project and program manager jobs in California: $160k a year (127 listings, 35 employers). This listing is 38% higher.
• Across Rocket Lab's 456 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?

Share this brief

Send it to someone whose opinion you trust. They can open it without an account, and nothing about you is in the link.

Email itText it

To keep a copy, use your browser's Print or Share button.

Next steps

Apply on the employer's page Full listingDoes my CV fit?Practise the interviewShould I apply?

Got a message about this job asking for money or documents? Check the message first.

Keep looking

• 27 more project and program manager jobs within 25 miles, on the job map with pay.
• All 456 open Rocket Lab jobs, and how Rocket Lab hires.
• Saw a job somewhere else? Check if the employer still lists it.
• Search every job JoRoute reads from employers' own job boards. No account needed.