We have developed a 270-W 15-kHz MOPA system based on side-pumped rod-type Nd:YAG gain modules. The master oscillator is a 3-W 15-kHz $TEM_{00}$ $Nd:YVO_4$ laser with a pulse duration of 30 ns. To preserve the high beam quality during the amplification, we use image relay and polarization rotation which can simultaneously compensate for thermal lensing and thermal birefringence generated in the rod-type gain modules. After the amplification to 270 W with six rod-type gain modules, the beam quality factor ($M^2$) of the amplified laser beam is 5-10, and the pulse duration is maintained at 30 ns.