Head of Engineering

About Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab is a premium software engineering consultancy helping ambitious brands
turn complexity into clarity

. We design, architect, and build high-value digital products across web, mobile, and backend systems for clients such as Webjet, Petbarn, NSW Police, and Lasoo.

Our values guide everything we do:
Turn Complexity into Clarity, Be Prepared & Proactive, Always Provide Value, Solution Driven, Show You Care, and Act with Courage.

We are hiring a
Head of Engineering

to lead our technical organisation, elevate delivery quality, and scale our engineering culture across web, mobile, and backend teams.

The Role

As Head of Engineering, you will own the technical direction and delivery excellence across all projects. You will lead, mentor, and grow a world-class engineering team, ensuring Rocket Lab continues to set the standard for high-performance, product-minded software engineering. You will collaborate with design, product, and client teams to deliver scalable, secure, and maintainable solutions while driving innovation and improving processes company wide.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Strategy

• Define and own Rocket Lab's technical vision, architecture standards, and engineering roadmap.
• Partner with the Founder and GM/COO to scale people, process, and platform maturity.
• Mentor Tech Leads and Senior Engineers to improve leadership and technical decision making.
• Ensure alignment between product strategy, architecture, and delivery excellence.

Delivery and Execution

• Oversee technical delivery across projects using React, , React Native, , GraphQL, and cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Drive code quality, security, and performance best practices across the team.
• Implement and continuously improve delivery frameworks, QA processes, CI/CD pipelines, and sprint rituals.
• Act as the technical escalation point for complex architectural or performance challenges.

Pre-Sales and Technical Sales

• Collaborate with the Senior Leadership Team during pre-sales to define technical solutions that align with business goals.
• Participate in client discovery calls and workshops to understand requirements and shape solution architecture.
• Prepare and review technical estimates, project scopes, and proposals ensuring they reflect sound engineering and commercial viability.
• Translate complex technical challenges into clear, value-driven recommendations that support Rocket Lab's positioning as a strategic partner.
• Contribute to proposal writing, client presentations, and thought leadership that demonstrate Rocket Lab's expertise in
  turning complexity into clarity

.

Culture and Growth

• Champion engineering excellence, continuous learning, and proactive ownership.
• Shape hiring, onboarding, and career progression frameworks for engineers.
• Build clarity and accountability through well defined processes and measurable outcomes.
• Foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and care internally and with clients.
• Embody and reinforce Rocket Lab's core values, especially
  turning complexity into clarity

.

Requirements

• 8+ years in software engineering, including 3+ years in a leadership role (Head of Engineering, CTO, or Principal Engineer).
• Strong background in , TypeScript, React or , and modern cloud architectures.
• Proven experience scaling technical teams of 10 to 30 engineers and implementing best-in-class engineering practices.
• Deep understanding of software architecture, scalability, and performance optimisation.
• Experience in a consultancy, agency, or multi-project environment is preferred.
• Strong communication and leadership skills with the ability to bridge technical depth and business context.

Why Join Rocket Lab

• Lead a senior, product-minded engineering team that deeply cares about outcomes and quality.
• Deliver high-impact work for iconic Australian and international brands.
• Shape the technical direction and help us continue
  turning complexity into clarity

for our clients.