Senior Technical Program Manager at rocketlab

Compensation

$134,000 – $201,000/yr

Location: Long Beach, California
Type: Full-time
Level: not_specified
Posted: Jul 23, 2026

Description

Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager for their Space Sensing & Domain Awareness initiative. Based in Long Beach, CA, this role involves leading the lifecycle of advanced optical and infrared sensing payloads, making strategic technical decisions, managing supply chains, and influencing government customer relationships. The successful candidate will command a multidisciplinary team, manage complex programs, and drive innovation in space domain awareness.

Required Skills

Program Management
Technical Program Ownership
EO/IR Sensing
Optical Payloads
Focal Plane Arrays
Risk Mitigation
Supply Chain Management
Cross-functional Synchronization
Government Contracting
Systems Engineering
Trade Studies
Interface Control
Requirement Integrity
Jira
Confluence
ERP

Additional Information

Required Previous Experiences: 8+ years of program management experience
Evidence you've moved real hardware and software from prototype toward scalable, flight-ready production
Preferred Qualifications: Production Velocity: A proven playbook for transitioning low-volume prototypes into scalable production without sacrificing mission reliability.
Domain Authority: Deep experience navigating National Security Space (NSS) or large sensing and tracking constellations.
Capture & Customer: Demonstrated success negotiating, capturing, and executing large U.S. Government contracts.
Advanced Technical Credibility: A Master's degree in Engineering, Optics, or a related field that lets you peer-review sensing roadmaps.
Systems & Toolchain Fluency: You speak Systems Engineering, trade studies, interface control, requirement integrity, and use Jira, Confluence, and ERP to keep program health visible at speed.
Multiple program cycles or 8+ years in aerospace/defense, sharpen the edge, but we weight the hardest thing you've shipped over the count.