Pay from Rocket Lab's own postings
Rocket Lab RF or Communications Engineer Salary
Rocket Lab's 14 open roles for RF and communications engineers post a median $156k/yr, typically $129k–$224k/yr, from 12 distinct pay figures, read from its own job board every hour.
Against other pay
- All US electronics engineers, except computer, May 2025
- median $130k/yr
- Rocket Lab's postings: 20% above it
- Highest posted top
- $253k/yr
- Senior RF Digital Payload Engineer II Pipeline
Typical pay is the 25th percentile of what roles pay (the middle of each posted range, as a year's pay: an hourly rate counts at 2,080 hours, 40 a week for 52 weeks) to the 90th-percentile posted top. Pay is compared as a year's pay: an hourly rate counts at 2,080 hours (40 a week for 52 weeks), a weekly one at 52 weeks, a monthly one at 12 months. A posting that names only a ceiling ("up to $X") is left out of the figures.
Rocket Lab RF or communications engineer pay by level
| Level the title names | Open roles | Median | Typical pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry, associate or level I | 3 | Too few figures | |
| Level II | 3 | $135k/yr | $123k–$162k/yr |
| Senior | 7 | $165k/yr | $165k–$237k/yr |
| Lead | 1 | Too few figures |
A level is read from the title, the first that applies from an internship to a director (the reading of our research on career levels and pay). A figure needs three distinct posted rates.
Where Rocket Lab hires RF and communications engineers
- Long Beach, CA12 roles, median $156k/yr
- New Zealand2 roles
Open Rocket Lab roles for RF and communications engineers, highest pay first
Updated 31 Oct 2026, 14:02 UTC
Senior RF Digital Payload Engineer II Pipeline (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Long Beach, CA· 2d agoDetails
$151,500–$252,500/yr
Senior RF Engineer II - Radar (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Long Beach, CA· 1mo agoDetails
$151,500–$227,250/yr
Senior RF Digital Payload Engineer I Pipeline (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Long Beach, CA· 2d agoDetails
$132,000–$198,000/yr
Senior RF Radar Engineer I (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Long Beach, CA· 6d agoDetails
$132,000–$198,000/yr
Senior RF Test Engineer I (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · Systems & Test · Long Beach, CA· 2d agoDetails
$132,000–$198,000/yr
Senior Systems Engineer II - RF Mission Solutions (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Long Beach, CA· 2mo agoDetails
$132,000–$198,000/yr
Senior Systems Engineer I - RF Mission Solutions (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Long Beach, CA· 2mo agoDetails
$124,000–$171,000/yr
RF Phased Array Engineer II (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Long Beach, CA· 2d agoDetails
$108,000–$162,000/yr
RF Test Engineer II (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · Systems & Test · Long Beach, CA· 2d agoDetails
$108,000–$162,000/yr
RF Engineer I (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Long Beach, CA· 2d agoDetails
$88,000–$132,000/yr
RF Engineer II - Radar (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Long Beach, CA· 1mo agoDetails
$88,000–$132,000/yr
RF Phased Array Engineer I (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Long Beach, CA· 2d agoDetails
$88,000–$132,000/yr
Junior Radio Frequency Engineer - Test (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Auckland, NZ· 3w agoDetails

Team Lead - Radio Frequency Engineer (Ground Segment) (opens the job details)
Rocket Lab · RF & Payloads · Auckland, NZ· 5mo agoDetails
More Rocket Lab salaries by profession
- Technician, median $69.7k/yr
- Electrical Engineer, median $124k/yr
- Test Engineer, median $113k/yr
- Systems Engineer, median $137k/yr
- Mechanical Engineer, median $134k/yr
- Propulsion Engineer, median $144k/yr
- Software Engineer, median $161k/yr
- Manufacturing Engineer, median $129k/yr
- Supply Chain Professional, median $57.4k/yr
- Mission or Launch Operations Engineer, median $128k/yr
- Sales or Business Development Professional, median $224k/yr
- GNC Engineer, median $165k/yr
RF or Communications Engineer salaries at other space companies
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Questions about Rocket Lab pay for RF and communications engineers
How much does Rocket Lab pay RF and communications engineers?
Rocket Lab's open roles for RF and communications engineers post a median $156k/yr, typically $129k–$224k/yr, from 12 distinct pay figures in 12 of its 14 postings. Typical pay here is the 25th percentile of what roles pay (the middle of each posted range, as a year's pay: an hourly rate counts at 2,080 hours, 40 a week for 52 weeks) to the 90th-percentile posted top. The highest posted top is $253k/yr, for Senior RF Digital Payload Engineer II Pipeline.
What does Rocket Lab pay RF and communications engineers at each level?
By the level each title names: level II: a median $135k/yr (3 roles); senior: a median $165k/yr (7 roles). A level is read from the title ("Engineer II", "Senior", "Lead"); titles that name none are left out of this answer.
Does Rocket Lab pay RF and communications engineers more than other space companies?
Rocket Lab's median, $156k/yr, is 10% below the $174k/yr median of the 574 open roles for RF and communications engineers at every space company we read (Rocket Lab's among them).
Do RF and communications engineers earn more than other roles at Rocket Lab?
Rocket Lab's roles for RF and communications engineers post a median $156k/yr, 30% above the $120k/yr median of all its open roles that state pay (Rocket Lab salaries compares every kind of work).
How does Rocket Lab's pay for RF and communications engineers compare with the national wage?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median wage of electronics engineers, except computer at $130k/yr (May 2025); Rocket Lab's posted median, $156k/yr, is 20% above it. A posting states what a new hire is offered, the national figure what everyone in the occupation earns, so the two measure different people. Source: BLS wage estimates by state (OEWS, May 2025), read through O*NET OnLine, CC BY 4.0.
Where does Rocket Lab hire RF and communications engineers?
Its open roles for RF and communications engineers are in Long Beach, CA (12) and New Zealand (2).