Avionics Engineer I - Electron Avionics Systems

AVIONICS ENGINEER I – ELECTRON AVIONICS SYSTEMS Rocket Lab is seeking an Avionics Engineer I to join our Electron Avionics Development Team. In this role, you'll be at the forefront of designing, developing, and implementing electrical systems that take the Electron vehicle to orbit. You’ll own electrical interfaces and wire harness designs that connect critical flight systems, working in a fast‑paced environment where your contributions directly impact mission success. This is a hands‑on engineering role across the full product lifecycle. WHAT YOU'LL GET TO DO Design and manage electrical interconnections between avionics systems, ensuring robust, reliable connectivity across the launch vehicle. Develop schematic and 3D routing designs for complex flight harnesses, responsible for fit checks, connector selection, and wire specifications. Generate production‑ready schematics, BOMs, manufacturing drawings, and ICDs. Support system‑level electrical architecture development for the Electron launch vehicle development and mission‑specific configurations. Execute signal integrity analysis, power budgets, grounding studies, and EMI/EMC assessments to ensure system performance. Design and build prototype harnesses and electrical systems to validate concepts and de‑risk designs before production commitment. Conduct analytical trade‑offs to optimize designs for mass, cost, reliability, manufacturability, and schedule while meeting performance requirements. Manage project timelines for avionics systems projects to ensure electrical systems keep vehicle production on schedule. Maintain design documentation, manage changes through formal processes, and ensure traceability across design iterations. Support launch campaigns including troubleshooting, system health monitoring, and real‑time anomaly resolution. YOU'LL BRING THESE QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical discipline. 1+ year of hands‑on experience in hardware development, electrical system design, or electronics test engineering. Experience with Altium Designer, KiCAD, SolidWorks Electrical, Siemens NX, RapidHarness or similar eCAD/mCAD platforms. Experience developing high‑quality design data including schematics, harness drawings and specifications. Strong understanding of analog and digital electronics, power distribution, signal integrity, grounding, and EMI/EMC principles. Experience with test equipment including oscilloscopes, power supplies, multimeters and data‑acquisition systems. Proficiency in Python or similar languages for test automation and data analysis. Demonstrated ability to design, build, test, and troubleshoot electrical systems in a fast‑paced environment. THESE QUALIFICATIONS WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE Proficiency with RS‑422, RS‑485, SPI, I²C, CAN bus, Ethernet, or other serial communication standards. Hands‑on experience with wire harness design, fabrication processes to industry standards including IPC‑620, NASA‑STD8739.4, ECSS or similar. Experience designing analog, digital, or mixed‑signal PCBs from concept through production. Familiarity with RTDs, thermocouples, strain gauges, accelerometers, pressure transducers, and associated signal conditioning. Experience with configuration management tools. LEGAL AND REGULATORY INFORMATION Applicants seeking to work in U.S. offices must comply with 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 permanent resident, or otherwise authorized. For security and regulatory reasons, only eligible candidates can be considered. Rocket Lab provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment at Rocket Lab, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for the application/interview process should contact Giulia Johnson at [email protected]. #J-18808-Ljbffr