Senior Machine Learning Engineer II (EO/IR Image Analysis)

Rocket Lab Optical Systems is hiring a Senior Machine Learning Engineer II to develop and deploy deep learning for EO/IR image analysis in support of Tranche 3 of the U.S. Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture and beyond.

Responsibilities

• Apply experience to deliver solutions to real-world engineering problems
• Design, train, and deploy machine learning models for Optical Systems applications
• Develop and maintain ML pipelines spanning data ingestion, feature engineering, training, and inference
• Partner with researchers and engineers across artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision
• Conduct rapid prototyping and enhanced development for integration into operational systems
• Troubleshoot issues, implement bug fixes, and perform maintenance for existing and new systems
• Track ML research and assess new tools, frameworks, and techniques

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree plus 8+ years of experience; or Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field
• Strong machine learning background across model selection, architecture, training, validation, testing, and deployment
• Experience developing deep learning neural networks for computer vision, image processing, or video analysis (e.g., object detection, image segmentation, and tracking)
• Strong math foundation, with emphasis on linear algebra
• Proficiency in Python
• Experience with deep learning libraries such as Keras, TensorFlow, and PyTorch
• Software engineering fundamentals including version control, testing, CI/CD, and containerization
• U.S. citizenship is required due to program requirements
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance

Technologies

• Python
• Keras
• TensorFlow
• PyTorch
• CI/CD
• Containerization

Nice to Have

• Proficiency in C/C++/Rust
• Experience curating high-quality, real-world datasets for training deep learning models
• TS/SCI security clearance

Additional Information

• U.S. offices only: Rocket Lab employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce (ITAR).
• Applicants who need a reasonable accommodation for the application/interview process should contact Giulia Johnson at [email protected].
• New Zealand offices only: Background checks will be conducted prior to employment offers, including nationality checks.
• You may be ineligible if you do not hold citizenship of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union, or a NATO country, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality.

Location: Chantilly, VA (onsite) | Salary: USD 130,000 - 229,100 per year