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Rocket Lab · 1 week ago

Senior Ground Software Engineer II/ Principal Ground Software Engineer

Littleton, CO

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$145K/yr - $245K/yr

8+ years exp

Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company delivering responsive launch services and spacecraft design. The Senior Ground Software Engineer II/ Principal Ground Software Engineer will serve as a technical authority for spacecraft ground software, focusing on defining and evolving the architecture of ground systems for mission success.

AerospaceManufacturingSoftwareSpace Travel

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Own major parts of architecture and evolve Rocket Lab’s web-based ground software platforms for spacecraft operations

Partner with flight software developers, mission operations personnel, and systems engineers to translate mission needs into scalable ground system designs

Deploy, configure, and optimize the Rocket Lab Ground Data System for diverse mission profiles

Establish robust monitoring, alerting, and reliability frameworks to proactively detect and mitigate issues

Provide technical direction and architectural guidance to ensure mission resilience, system integration, and long-term maintainability

Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on ground software strategy, risk areas, and emerging technologies

Qualification

Web-based software architectureSystems-level thinkingFull-stack developmentPythonMicroservice architecturesGit-based workflowsCI/CD pipelinesKubernetes orchestrationEnd-to-end testing frameworksDatabase architectureClear software designsModern authentication frameworksCCSDS standards knowledgeTechnical leadership

Required

U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering or other technical discipline

8+ years of relevant work experience in professional software development

Proven track record architecting web-based software systems at scale

Strong systems-level thinking, with ability to balance technical trade-offs across performance, security, and maintainability

U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering or other technical discipline

12+ years of relevant work experience in professional software development

Proven track record architecting web-based software systems at scale

Strong systems-level thinking, with ability to balance technical trade-offs across performance, security, and maintainability

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to focus

Regularly required to sit, use hands and fingers, operate computer keyboard and controls, and communicate verbally and in writing

Must be physically able to commute to buildings

Occasional exposure to dust, fumes and moderate levels of noise

Preferred

Full-stack development experience, including: Backend – Python, Golang, and/or Rust; Frontend – Typescript and Angular; Database – InfluxDB, PostgreSQL, or equivalent

Experience with end-to-end testing frameworks like Playwright

Aerospace background supporting satellite, spacecraft, constellation, or launch vehicle ground/mission operations

Experience designing with Python web frameworks (FastAPI or equivalent)

Deep knowledge of microservice architectures and distributed systems

Demonstrated leadership in end-to-end system design and delivery with engineering teams

Ability to produce clear, well-structured, and well-documented software designs

Familiarity with database architecture, schema design, and optimization

Expertise in Git-based workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and Kubernetes orchestration

Understanding of modern authentication/authorization frameworks (OAuth, etc.)

Knowledge of CCSDS standards, including Space Packet Protocol, COP-1, and CFD