Senior Program Manager I at ROCKET LAB

Department: 5555 RMC - Program Management

Compensation

$137,075 – $181,675/yr

Location: Pasadena, California
Type: Full-time
Level: senior
Posted: Sep 30, 2026

Description

Rocket Lab Robotics is hiring a Senior Program Manager to plan, execute, monitor, and close out multiple concurrent robotics and electromechanical projects. The role manages project plans, budgets, schedules, baselines, risks, customer milestones, cross-functional teams, reporting, proposal support, and process improvements, while mentoring junior project managers. It is based onsite in Pasadena, California, requires U.S. citizenship, and offers a base salary of $116,000–$146,000 USD plus equity.

Required Skills

Project management
MS Project
Earned Value Management
Cross-functional teams
Proposal development
Agile project management

Additional Information

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aerospace, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent education and experience
Required Previous Experiences: 5+ years of project management experience in aerospace, defense, or advanced manufacturing
Full project lifecycle experience from proposal support through contract closeout
Government contracting and ITAR-controlled program experience
Leading cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization
Preferred Qualifications: PMP certification or active pursuit
Space robotics, electromechanical systems, or motion control experience
Agile project management and Jira or Confluence familiarity
EVMS experience in DoD or NASA contracting
NASA, FFRDC, or DoD program office relationships
Business development capture and proposal coordination
Graduate-level degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or Project/Systems Management
Translation Company Name: Rocket Lab Corporation