Job brief: HITL Engineer II

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: $100,800 to $138,600 a year
• Job type: Not stated
• Where: Long Beach, CA · RL Headquarters
• Posted: 2026-10-01

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

Level: Mid level. The posting asks for 2+ years of experience.

Must have

• U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements
• Bachelor’s degree in mechatronics, electronics, computer science, aerospace engineering, or related field
• 2+ years of engineering experience with hardware or software development
• Master’s in mechatronics, electronics, computer science, aerospace engineering, or related field
• 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.

Main duties

• Design, build, operate, and maintain the HITL systems for the Rocket Lab spacecraft buses
• Work hands-on with test and flight hardware
• Work in a cross-disciplinary team to verify the functionality and performance of the Rocket Lab spacecraft buses
• Operate launch vehicle simulation platform for Day of Launch operations for specific missions
• Analyze test results from raw data for pass/fail criteria

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: $164k a year (145 listings, 3 employers). This listing is 27% lower.
• 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.

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