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>Senior Mission Operations Engineer </strong>to become a foundational member of the <strong>Ground Segment group within the Mission Operations team </strong>and support planning and execution of Vast missions.</p> <p>This will be a <strong>full-time</strong>, <strong>exempt</strong> position located in our <strong>Long Beach</strong> location.</p> <p><strong>Responsibilities: </strong></p> <ul> <li>Take extreme ownership of large impact initiatives working with engineers across disciplines to support the development of spacecraft operations & ground operations procedures, flight rules, products & processes, culminating in the safe & successful operations of a newly launched spacecraft</li> <li>Provide technical and operational leadership as the operations expert in planning for and execution of pre-flight testing and checkouts of ground systems to ensure spacecraft and ground systems are ready for flight</li> <li>Assist with leading the operations of Vast’s crewed and uncrewed missions for vehicle commissioning, on-orbit operations, anomaly resolution and final deorbit of the spacecraft</li> <li>Perform deep-dive analysis of vehicle & ground system telemetry and deliver informed summaries as well as recommendations to mission stakeholders for further review & analysis</li> <li>Formulate and lead the execution of workflows facilitating improvements to processes & systems with a focus on advancing Vast’s Mission Operations while maintaining Vast’s commitment to excellence</li> <li>Strategize plans for and lead efforts to iteratively improve the Mission Systems, Mission Operations Software and other ground processes and collaborate with the Mission Systems Engineering & Ground Software Engineering teams to implement them</li> <li>Work closely with Mission Management to ensure customer requirements are translated to a Concept of Operations that balances all needs</li> <li>Mentor & coach junior Mission Operations Engineers, offering guidance and recommendations to ongoing workflows</li> </ul> <p><strong>Minimum Qualifications:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, software engineering, or other engineering discipline</li> <li>5+ years of experience in the operation of complex systems</li> <li>Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with other engineering disciplines</li> <li>Demonstrated ability to to critically think in high stress environments and rapidly evolving situations</li> <li>Ability to disseminate critical engineering & technical information effectively and clearly</li> <li>Strong verbal and written communication skills</li> <li>Strong demonstrated technical leadership ability</li> <li>Willing to support 24/7 operations during mission critical phases</li> </ul> <p><strong>Preferred Skills & Experience:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Experience in human spaceflight mission operations</li> <li>Master’s degree in a technical field</li> <li>3+ years working in a spacecraft design, build, and test environment</li> <li>Technical knowledge in spacecraft systems engineering (avionics, propulsion, attitude control, communications, orbital mechanics, life support systems, thermal and power control systems)</li> <li>Technical knowledge in Space-to-Ground Communication Systems (RF, Ground Stations, Modems, Antenna Systems)</li> <li>Experience building from scratch a system, process and team to perform complex operations of an aerospace system (launch vehicle, satellite, crew capsule)</li> <li>Software Engineering Skills (C++, Golang, Javascript, React, Software Architecture, Databases, Cloud)</li> <li>Matlab or Python/Octave Proficiency</li> </ul> <p><strong>Proficient at using the command line and scripting languages</strong></p> <ul> <li>Strong Technical Writing skills</li> <li>Strong mentorship and leadership skills</li> </ul> <p><strong>Additional Requirements:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Ability to travel up to 20% of the time</li> <li>Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones</li> </ul><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">Pay Range: California</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$137,000</span><span class="divider">—</span><span>$230,000 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 ca