Job brief: Principal Program Manager

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 2026-11-06.
• 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: Not published
• Job type: Not stated
• Where: Tucson, AZ · Geost Wetmore
• Posted: 2026-10-14

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

Level: Manager. The title says "Manager".

Must have

• Building on more than 20 years of electro-optical and infrared systems innovation from Geost, Rocket Lab Optical Systems delivers solutions to the warfighter for responsive, scala…
• You must possess experience in managing programs including electronics, software, and EO/IR sensors on space or ground systems.
• Develop and closely track Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) for projects and manage Earned Value Management (EVM) metrics (as required)
• Support, and influence/lead where required, proposal and ECP efforts
• Bachelor’s degree in business, technology, or technical discipline
• 12+ years of experience in managing technical projects for the US Government

Conditions

• Support travel or off-site work as needed

Main duties

• Manage multiple contracts, ensuring cost, risk, schedule, staffing resources, and technical performance of company programs or subsystems of major programs, …
• Work on unusually complex technical problems and provide innovative solutions
• Lead team(s) of engineers in planning and executing test events and resolving issues encountered, both operational and technical
• Work proactively to complete tasks and meet assigned deadlines with little direction
• Build and deliver effective presentations to communicate program status and plans with little direction

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 Arizona: $161k a year (10 listings, 5 employers). This listing does not publish pay to compare.
• 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.
• The pay an offer would carry.

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Next steps

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Keep looking

• 1 more project and program manager jobs within 25 miles, on the job map with pay.
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