Team Lead - Electron GNC
As the Team Lead for Electron Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) at Rocket Lab, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring mission success. Collaborating closely with the Vice President of New Zealand Operations, engineering leadership, and cross-functional teams, you will coordinate essential activities across the Electron launch system. Your responsibilities will encompass mission design, launch vehicle performance optimization, and GNC-related launch operations. Additionally, you will lead software verification and release through Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) testing, ensuring our missions are reliable and high-performing from the ground up.
In this role, you will own the GNC pipeline, from algorithm design and mission planning to software implementation and post-flight analysis. You will lead the development of flight-critical software, including auto-sequences, mission-specific trajectories, and launch performance modeling. Managing and mentoring a high-performing GNC team, you will guide technical direction and career growth. Overseeing the verification and release of flight software using HITL testing, you will collaborate across engineering, mission management, and business development to ensure mission success. Providing technical feedback on launch vehicle requirements, you will help shape future capabilities.
The ideal candidate will possess a Master's or PhD in Aerospace, Electrical, or Software Engineering, with over five years of experience in aerospace or space systems, specifically in developing GNC algorithms for launch vehicles. A deep knowledge of orbital mechanics, rigid body dynamics, and control systems is essential. Strong skills in Python, MATLAB/SciPy, and experience with simulation and flight software are required. Proven ability to lead technical teams and deliver complex projects under pressure, along with excellent communication skills and a passion for mentoring and solving challenging problems, are crucial.
At Rocket Lab, you'll be part of a tight-knit, high-impact team driven by purpose. We move fast, we're ambitious, and we don't back down from hard challenges. You'll work in an environment that rewards ownership, encourages experimentation, and builds rockets that fly. Ready to lead missions into orbit? Apply now and help shape the future of space technology.