Vast develops commercial space stations to support sustained human activity, research, and manufacturing in low-Earth orbit and beyond.
<div class="content-intro"><p>At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next-generation space stations to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Using an incremental, hardware-rich and low-cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. Our team is all-in, committed to executing our mission safely and on time. If you want to work with the most talented people on Earth furthering space exploration for humanity, come join us.</p></div><p>Vast is looking for a <strong>Propulsion Test Engineer</strong>, reporting to the<strong> Propulsion Test Manager, </strong>to support the development of the propulsion systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. </p> <p>This will be a <strong>full-time</strong>, <strong>exempt</strong> position located in our <strong>Mojave </strong>location. </p> <p><strong>Responsibilities: </strong></p> <ul> <li>Perform thruster development, acceptance and qualification hot-fire testing</li> <li>Lead hazardous operations including work with high pressure fluids</li> <li>Write test procedures for hazardous operations</li> <li>Prepare and lead Test Readiness Reviews (TRRs)</li> <li>Work side by side with the test stand technicians during test article install and inspection</li> <li>Maintain and design modifications to test stand fluids and electrical systems to meet current and expanding test requirements</li> <li>Work collaboratively with Long Beach based responsible engineers to meet test requirements, design test stand modifications, and debug test stand problems rapidly</li> </ul> <p><strong>Minimum Qualifications:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Bachelor’s degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering or related field</li> <li>2+ years of experience in the operation, design, and development of chemical propulsion and/or fluid systems, or hardware testing</li> </ul> <p><strong>Preferred Skills & Experience:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Propulsion experience in collegiate rocket program</li> <li>Experience with NX and Teamcenter</li> <li>Experience with Epsilon3</li> <li>Experience with JIRA / Confluence</li> <li>Experience with controls & data acquisition systems (e.g., Beckhoff/TwinCAT, National Instruments/LabVIEW)</li> <li>Experience building and testing high pressure fluid systems</li> <li>Tube fitting & bending, familiarity with common industry fittings systems </li> <li>Read & interpret Plumbing and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs)</li> <li>Excellent communication skills, both written and oral</li> <li>Ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams</li> <li>Ability and willingness to thrive in a fast-paced, rapidly changing work environment</li> </ul> <p><strong>Additional Requirements:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones</li> <li>Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted</li> <li>Ability to work in extreme weather conditions outdoors in Mojave, CA</li> </ul> <p><strong>Pay Range: </strong></p> <ul> <li>Propulsion Test Engineer I: $86,000 - $122,000 </li> <li>Propulsion Test Engineer II: $112,000 - $155,000</li> <li>Senior Propulsion Test Engineer: $135,000 - $195,000</li> </ul><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">Pay Range: California</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$86,000</span><span class="divider">—</span><span>$195,000 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><p style="line-height: 1;"><strong>COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS<br></strong><br>Base salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.</p> <p style="line-height: 1;"><strong><br>U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS<br><br></strong>The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-22/section-120.62">22 C.F.R. § 120.62</a> or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing. This status includes U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending.<br><br></p> <p style="line-height: 1;"><strong>EQUAL OPPORTUNITY</strong><br><br>Vast is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vast is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in an