Rocket Lab
Ground Systems Engineer II - Structures & Mechanisms
$88K–$110K
Wallops Island, VA +1 · Full-time · Posted Aug 19, 2026
- Location
- Wallops Island, VA
Wallops Island, Virginia, United States - Experience
- 2+ years of directly applicable experience.
- Education
- ABET-accredited Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
- Visa sponsorship
- For U.S. offices, candidates must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, or be eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State and/or Department of Commerce authorizations. For New Zealand offices, candidates must meet the stated ITAR eligibility requirements; nationality and background checks apply.
About the job
Designs, builds, tests, and commissions structures, large mechanisms, and support equipment for Rocket Lab’s Neutron launch vehicle and launch sites.
What you'll do
- Design launch-site structures, vehicle support equipment, mechanisms, and test equipment; perform sizing and analysis.
- Develop and execute test plans, investigate failures, and support installation, commissioning, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
- Coordinate with suppliers, technicians, and test and operations teams to deliver projects to specification and schedule.
What they ask for
- ABET-accredited Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
- 2+ years of directly applicable design, testing, and/or operations experience in aerospace or industrial sectors.
- Experience designing large structures and mechanisms.
- Proficiency in CAD software (NX, Solidworks).
Nice to have
- Experience with launch pad systems or comparable industries, such as oil and gas, process, or mining.
- Experience with structural design and analysis or software-based analysis tools.
Pay
$88,000 — $110,000 USD (base salary)
Tools
NX, Solidworks, RISA, ANSYS, GFSSP, AFT, Thermal Desktop, ASME
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative