Head of Mission Design & Flight Dynamics

Head Of Mission Design & Flight Dynamics

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.

Our Space Systems division delivers some of the industry's most ambitious missions, including NASA's CAPSTONE lunar mission, orbital re-entry enabling microgravity manufacturing, and twin spacecraft launched to Mars in partnership with UC Berkeley and NASA. We design and build everything from bespoke satellites to full constellations, supported by vertically integrated, in‑house components that enable speed, precision, and constant innovation.

As the Head of Mission Design & Flight Dynamics, you will lead the discipline across all missions and locations, spanning analysis, development, and operations. This role could be based in New Zealand or the U.S.

What You'll Get To Do:

• Own the vision and direction of the Mission Design & Flight Dynamics technology roadmap, balancing live mission delivery with long-term capability growth.
• Drive measurable progress toward greater automation, efficiency, and expanded operational capability.
• Provide mentorship, clarity of vision, prioritisation, and motivation to the Flight Dynamics team during development phases and operational campaigns.
• Lead a global multi-site team, supported by regional Team Leads who manage day-to-day execution.
• Focus on strategic leadership, technical forecasting, emergent risk response, and cross-functional decision making.
• Maintain strong technical awareness across interfaces including Spacecraft Operations, FSW, GNC, GSW, and Systems.

What You'll Bring:

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering or a related field
• 8+ years of applied spacecraft flight dynamics and/or operations experience, including relevant software development and testing
• Strong capability to balance complex, parallel tasks
• Able to operate under significant pressure in both operational and development environments
• Proven ability to motivate geographically distributed teams and provide clarity through complex technical challenges
• Background in orbit determination, or trajectory optimisation
• Experience with hiring, performance, and remuneration cycles

Why Join Us? Rocket Lab is one of the world's most innovative space companies, where fast-paced missions and bold engineering shape the future of space. In this role, you'll lead mission design for lunar, Martian, and Earth‑orbiting spacecraft while influencing next‑generation technology and working with exceptional teams pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

If the above sounds like you apply now!