Senior Technical Writer I

Business Development

Rocket Lab's Business Development team is responsible for connecting customers across government and commercial sectors with our industry leading mission solutions spanning launch and space systems. They work closely with new and existing customers to understand their needs and develop tailored solutions to deliver their missions. Building and maintaining relationships with customers and internally with engineering and operations teams is at the core of our Business Development team. They have their fingers on the pulse of the space industry and are driven to deliver results for our customers and our business.

About the role

Based out of Rocket Lab's global headquarters in Long Beach, CA, the Senior Technical Writer I will have a proven track record of writing and winning proposals for both federal government agencies and commercial customers in the space industry. Government proposal writing experience in the aerospace & defense industry will also be considered.

What You'll Get to Do

• Create customer response templates according to a company style guide and RFP requirements
• Write compliant, compelling, and client-centric narratives aligned to the proposed solution
• Re-write technical text as necessary for clarity, readability, and tone
• Format, proofread, and edit for clarity, accuracy, readability, and RFP compliance
• Coordinate with technical team to gather and draft technical proposal volumes
• Take on writing responsibility for increasingly challenging technical proposal sections
• Create and maintain compliance matrices for each major effort
• Incorporate feedback based on reviews to ensure the final narrative is compliant and compelling
• Identify, resolve, mitigate, and escalate gaps and risks to management and technical leads when necessary
• Create proposal tools and resources to improve the proposal development process

You'll Bring These Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in English, communications, journalism, business, or a technical field
• 5+ years of professional writing and/or editing experience
• Experience writing and reviewing technical papers, reports, memos, and conference papers
• Intermediate skills with Microsoft Office products (such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Project) on a PC platform
• Demonstrated attention to detail through completion of a format, proofread, edit, clarity, readability, and compliance assignment as part of the interview process
• US citizenship is required, due to program requirements

These Qualifications Would Be Nice to Have

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or other technical discipline highly preferred
• Superior project and time management skills
• Ability to effectively coordinate various levels of SMEs effectively to deliver complicated responses on time
• Ability to work successfully under time-sensitive deadlines and in fast-paced environments
• Experience with SharePoint and Microsoft Office tools
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple proposals where the process and/or deliverable is nonstandard
• Strong data analysis and processing skills
• 3+ years of proposal experience in the aerospace industry
• An active US government issued security clearance, or the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance
• Experience supporting government proposals
• Education and experience with an industry standard proposal process (i.e. Shipley, Lohfeld)

Additional information

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.

Pay and benefits

Join one of the world's fastest-growing space companies and own a piece of it. In addition to competitive base pay, you'll receive company stock as part of your total compensation package, giving you a direct stake in our success. As we expand to new launch sites, groundbreaking missions, and global markets, your ownership has the opportunity to grow alongside the company.

Our comprehensive benefits package includes our industry-leading Employee Stock Purchase Program (with a 15% discount on company stock), top-tier medical plans (HMO, PPO, and a zero cost HDHP option with a significant HSA company contribution), dental and vision coverage, paid vacation and sick time, 11 paid holidays, flexible spending and dependent care accounts, paid parental leave, disability and life insurance, and a 401(k) retirement plan with company match.

Additional perks include subsidized EV charging, onsite fitness centers (where available), discounted gym memberships, complimentary snacks and beverages, 50% employee discount on our popular merch store, and a variety of other employee discounts.

Level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base Pay Range (CA Only) $89,000 - $122,000 USD

What to Expect

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.

For Candidates Seeking to Work in US Offices Only

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.

This dedicated resource is intended solely to assist job seekers with disabilities whose disability prevents them from being able to apply/interview. Only messages left for this purpose will be considered. A response to your request may take up to two business days.

For Candidates Seeking to Work in New Zealand Offices Only

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.