Job brief: Principal Spacecraft Operations Engineer - Secret Clearance Preferred

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.
• The same title for the same place was listed 1 other time on this board in the last 90 days: several openings, or a re-posted job.
• No layoff notices (WARN) under this name in the state files JoRoute reads.

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

• Pay: $173,300 to $259,850 a year
• Job type: Not stated
• Where: Long Beach, CA · RL Headquarters
• Posted: 2026-09-02 · over 60 days ago

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

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

Must have

• PRINCIPAL SPACECRAFT OPERATIONS ENGINEER I- SECRET CLEARANCE
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (software, computer, electrical, aerospace, mechanical, or other technical engineering discipline)
• 12+ years of direct experience in any of the following: space mission design, satellite subsystems, ground systems, spacecraft command control, or spacecraft operations
• 5+ years of experience leading teams of engineers through spacecraft missions or related aerospace projects
• 5+ years of direct software development experience (Python/Ruby/C/C++/other high-level languages), covering items such as spacecraft onboard flight scripts, ground scripting and a…
• US citizenship is required due to program requirements

Main duties

• Serve as the program's mission operations technical lead: set the technical direction and strategy for operations, plan and prioritize the work of the missio…
• Own mission operations requirements and lead requirements validation and verification for spacecraft missions and system-level capability and function
• Design, develop, and test flight software sequences and FDIR/telemetry configurations to ensure spacecraft health and fault management through software-drive…
• Architect, develop, and test ground software for long-duration operations, including scripting and automation frameworks that make operations robust, hands-o…
• Ensure the on-call or shift schedules of operations

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 Long Beach, CA: $160k a year (145 listings, 3 employers). This listing is 35% 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. Is this role still open, and when do you hope to fill it?
2. How many people are you hiring for this role, and is it a new opening or a re-posted one?
3. Which of the listed places is this role based in?
4. What are the interview steps, and when should I expect to hear back?

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Next steps

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