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Rocket Lab · 1 day ago

Senior Quality Engineer II

Tucson, AZ

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

8+ years exp

Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company delivering responsive launch services and spacecraft design. The Senior Quality Engineer II will ensure the highest levels of quality and reliability for advanced space payload programs and lead program-level quality activities.

AerospaceManufacturingSoftwareSpace Travel

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Act as the quality assurance and mission assurance representative for assigned space programs, ensuring compliance with customer, regulatory, and internal requirements

Lead program-level quality planning, execution, and oversight across design, manufacturing, integration, and test phases

Review customer contracts, statements of work (SOWs), and technical requirements to identify applicable quality, mission assurance, and regulatory requirements

Ensure effective flow-down of contractual, quality, and mission assurance requirements to internal implementation through procedures, work instructions, inspection plans, and test documentation

Review, define, and approve quality and mission assurance flow-downs for suppliers and subcontractors through purchase orders, subcontracts, quality clauses, and quality notes

Partner with Supply Chain, Contracts, Engineering, and Program Management to ensure subcontractor SOWs and PO packages include complete and compliant quality requirements

Verify supplier and subcontractor implementation of flowed-down requirements through audits, source inspections, NCR/RCCA activity, and performance monitoring

Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions using structured methodologies such as 8D, Fishbone, and 5-Why

Lead and support risk management activities, including FMEA and program risk assessments

Support and participate in internal, external, customer, and regulatory audits (AS9100, ISO 9001, customer audits)

Develop, maintain, and utilize Power BI dashboards to analyze and communicate quality performance, trends, risks, and program health metrics (e.g., NCR trends, RCCA aging, FPY, supplier performance)

Support and leverage Power Apps and SharePoint-based tools to standardize, automate, and improve quality workflows such as NCRs, RCCAs, inspections, approvals, and data collection

Prepare and present program quality status, mission assurance metrics, and risk summaries to internal leadership and external customers

Mentor junior quality engineers and promote a quality-first, data-driven culture across the organization

Support continuous improvement initiatives and other quality-related tasks as assigned

Support integration, environmental, and qualification test campaigns by providing quality and mission assurance oversight before, during, and after test execution

Review and approve test readiness artifacts, quality requirements, and acceptance criteria to ensure compliance prior to test start

Participate in on-site and off-site test campaigns as required to support mission assurance, anomaly resolution, and data review

Travel as required to support test campaigns, supplier activities, audits, source inspections, and program milestones

Perform other duties as assigned in support of quality strategy, compliance, and cross-functional program execution

Qualification

Quality EngineeringAS9100 KnowledgeRoot Cause AnalysisPower BISupplier Quality ManagementRisk ManagementContract ReviewContinuous ImprovementCommunication SkillsCollaboration Skills

Required

U.S. citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, or a related technical discipline

8+ years of experience in quality engineering within aerospace, defense, or space systems

Strong working knowledge of AS9100, mission assurance principles, and aerospace quality systems

Demonstrated experience reviewing contracts, SOWs, and customer requirements and supporting effective requirement flow-down to internal teams and external suppliers or subcontractors

Proven experience leading root cause analysis, corrective actions, and risk management activities

Experience with supplier and subcontractor quality management, audits, and performance metrics

Experience using Power BI to develop or interpret quality dashboards and performance metrics

Experience using Power Apps, SharePoint, or similar digital tools to support quality data collection and workflow automation

Strong communication, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills

Preferred

Master's degree in Engineering, Quality, or Business Management

Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or equivalent certification

Experience with spaceflight hardware, optical payloads, or mission-critical systems

Familiarity with ITAR and export compliance requirements

Knowledge of Earned Value Management (EVM)

Lean Six Sigma (Green or Black Belt) certification

Experience developing or applying quality clauses, quality notes, and mission assurance requirements for subcontracted hardware, software, or services