Pros
Very unique place to work, lots of design freedom with development projects. Get to experience everything from design, test and manufacture. The people are great and everyone loves what they do. No one there won’t go above and beyond to get the job done. High exposure to all things rockets, short development timelines and very hands on. It’s a great place to work but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. I’d recommend the place but only if you knew what you were getting into.
Kontras
Very large disparity between US based and NZ based engineers, I’m talking over double what the NZ engineers are getting paid for the same position. Technicians get paid overtime but engineers don’t yet there’s a culture where everyone works 10+ hours a day to get the job done. High expectations make set backs all the more stressful and you are often given tasks you’re not qualified for to fill the resource gaps. The career grading matrix makes it seem like personal development is a priority but when performance reviews come round it’s mostly a box ticking session and if you don’t have all the points you don’t go up. They are also annual so join at the wrong time and you’re doing an extra year without the promotion. Overall the cons make it difficult to want to stay here long term unless you have been awarded heaps of stock to stick around.