Rocket Lab USA
Senior Quality Inspector
Pasadena, Los Angeles County · Senior · full-time
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odds of building a lasting career here
Thin sponsorship signal and lottery-bound (~15% per draw). A low-probability bet with your clock running. Prioritize cap-exempt roles and proven entry-level sponsors first.
Lottery odds assume a STEM candidate.
Personalize to your clock →H-1B wage level
the lottery is wage-weighted — each level is one more entry
The bottom of this range ($33,000) is below the Level I prevailing wage of $86,965. An H-1B cannot be filed below the prevailing wage, so an offer at the floor of this band could not be sponsored as posted.
DOL prevailing wage, 2026-27 wage year · Industrial Production Managers (11-3051) · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Wage level is derived by USCIS from the offered wage, occupation and worksite; the occupation shown is inferred from the job title.
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About the role
- Our Space Systems team has enabled more than 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration, in-space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives.
- Whether it's a single high-performance spacecraft, constellation, or the vertically integrated components that help them get to space - our world class Space Systems team is empowering some of the boldest and most ambitious space missions.
- Join a driven team of pioneers relentlessly tackling challenging projects, delivering on the impossible, and making an impact on the future of space!
Responsibilities
- 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.
- Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company delivering responsive launch services, complete spacecraft design and manufacturing, payloads, satellite components, and more - all with the goal of opening access to space.
- At Rocket Lab, we're not just launching rockets - we're building the future of space.
- The team has built spacecraft, payloads, and components for missions to the Moon and Mars, working with partners including NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force.
- In this role, you will perform receiving, in-process, first-article, and final inspections, manage inspection priorities to support production schedules, and provide hands-on support to manufacturing as needed.
- Perform receiving, in-process, first-article, and final inspections using CMMs and precision hand measurement equipment.
- Document inspection results and create accurate issue tickets, nonconformance reports (NCPs), and supporting records in company quality, ERP, and manufacturing systems.
- Plan and schedule inspection work against production priorities, supplier deliveries, and build needs to keep conforming hardware moving to the floor.
Requirements
- 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
- To be successful in this role, you must be detail-oriented, organized, adaptable, and committed to maintaining the highest quality standards in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Required experience programming and operating CMMs using PC-DMIS.
- Proficiency with calipers, micrometers, height gauges, depth gauges, pin gauges, thread gauges, indicators, and surface-plate inspection methods.
Compensation
- $33k-$41k
Benefits
- Provide flexible hands-on support to production, including hardware verification, documentation checks, material movement, kitting support, and other priority tasks within training and authorization.
- 5+ years of mechanical inspection experience in aerospace, defense, medical device, precision machining, or another high-reliability manufacturing environment.
Visa & Work Authorization
- citizen, lawful U
This listing is sourced directly from Rocket Lab USA's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.