Rocket Lab USA
Mechanical Test Engineer I
East Long Beach, Los Angeles County · Junior · Internship
Stay score
odds of building a lasting career here
Sponsors, but it's cap-subject — you still face the weighted lottery (~30% per draw at Level II). Good if you win; have a cap-exempt backup on your list.
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
$13,018 more — $103,168 — moves this role to Level II and 2 lottery entries. That figure is inside the range the employer already advertised.
Based on the DOL prevailing wage for this occupation and worksite, a base salary of $103,168 would place this position at wage Level II. That figure is within the posted range, and I'd like to target it. This role classifies under "Mechanical Engineers" for prevailing-wage purposes.
DOL prevailing wage, 2026-27 wage year · Mechanical Engineers (17-2141) · 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
- This may include assisting with test setups for qualification and acceptance tests for satellite components and systems.
- Hardware tests may include avionics boxes, complex mechanisms, and fully integrated spacecraft in stressing environments.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field.
- 0+ years of experience in mechanical testing, aerospace, or a related field (internship experience is acceptable).
- Familiarity with CAD software (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, or similar).
Nice to have
- Experience with data acquisition systems and instrumentation.
- Familiarity with environmental testing (thermal, vibration, shock).
- Experience with Python or MATLAB for data analysis.
- Hands-on experience with mechanical assembly or prototyping.
- This position may require prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, computer work, and occasional exposure to moderate levels of noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.
Compensation
- $90k-$116k
This listing is sourced directly from Rocket Lab USA's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.