Team Lead - Radio Frequency Engineer (Ground Segment)

• Python or LabVIEW for test automation
• Networking certifications (e.g., CCNA)
• Familiarity with CCSDS standards or frequency licensing

Why Rocket Lab

• Work on systems that support real missions to space
• Lead a team with genuine ownership and autonomy
• Join a company that builds fast, iterates often, and delivers big
• Solve high-impact engineering challenges every day

If you're ready to lead from the front and build the RF backbone that keeps space missions connected, we want to hear from you.

We’re on a mission to unlock the potential of space to improve life on Earth, but that’s not an easy task. It takes hard work, determination, relentless innovation, teamwork, grit, and an unwavering commitment to achieving what others often deem impossible. Our people out-think, out-work, and out-pace. We pride ourselves on having each other’s backs, checking our egos at the door, and rolling up our sleeves on all tasks big and small. We thrive under pressure, work to tight deadlines, and our focus is always on how we can deliver, rather than dwelling on the challenges that stand in the way.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Rocket Lab Employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable. Learn more about ITAR here.

For security reasons, background checks will be undertaken prior to any employment offers being made to an applicant. These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that you be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the United States' International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Under these Regulations, you may be ineligible for this role if you do not hold citizenship of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union, or a country that is part of NATO, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality. For more information on these Regulations, click here ITAR Regulations.

• Set direction, coach high performance, and grow capability across a team running critical RF infrastructure.
• Own ground station systems end-to-end: RF performance, network architecture, modems, mission interfaces
• Drive development, commissioning, and upgrades across a global ground station network
• Partner with SpaceOps to ensure every system is mission-ready and every link performs flawlessly
• Collaborate across engineering, operations, programs, and external partners to deliver seamless ground segment solutions
• Shape strategy, roadmap new tech, and support business growth with RF expertise

You’ll bring

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Communications Engineering, RF Engineering, or equivalent
• 7+ years of relevant technical and team lead experience
• Strong RF communications system design experience (cascaded device analysis, link budgets, modulation and coding selection)
• Strong RF test experience and experience using RF test equipment (VNAs, spectrum analysers), including unit level (e.g. LNA, SSPA) and full system testing
• Proven experience leading RF teams in fast-moving environments, mentoring, motivating, and delivering under pressure
• Solid RF fundamentals, link budgets, cascaded analysis, modulation/coding
• Strong experience with RF test tools (VNAs, spectrum analysers, system-level testing)
• A systems engineering mindset: requirements, validation, documentation, operational readiness
• Practical knowledge of IP networking and real-world RF deployment

Rocket Lab is the end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems that keep the world connected, protected, expand humanity’s reach to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. We move fast, build real hardware for meaningful missions, and make the impossible routine. Come shape the future with us.

At Rocket Lab, we don’t just launch rockets, we build the systems that keep them talking to Earth. Our ground segment is the unseen backbone behind every mission, manoeuvre, and satellite. When the signal has to be rock‑solid, our RF team makes sure it never drops.

We’re looking for an RF Team Lead – Ground Segment in Auckland, New Zealand, ready to take on a role where mission success depends on the systems you lead.