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> Staff Manufacturing Engineer</strong>, reporting to the<strong> Manager Manufacturing Engineer, Soft Goods </strong>to support the development of the 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>Long Beach</strong> location. </p> <p><strong>Responsibilities: </strong></p> <ul> <li>Own the development and implementation of new product manufacturing processes for various soft-goods (Cargo bags, closeouts, protective blankets, etc.)</li> <li>Work closely with our Product Design and Supply Chain teams to ensure the highest level of quality of Vast's Soft-Goods products</li> <li>Responsible for meeting production targets (rate, delivery date, ect.)</li> <li>Work with interdisciplinary stakeholders such as human systems, industrial design, internal medicine to ensure all materials and processes can support a safe crewed mission</li> <li>Lead manufacturing reviews internally and externally with suppliers and customers</li> <li>Make sure that all designs and systems are manufacturable and reliable</li> <li>Coordinate with QA to Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and issue resolution on soft-good manufacturing quality issues</li> <li>Create and manage all operating procedures and control plans for the soft-goods manufacturing team</li> <li>Provide process design improvement ideas and collaborate with engineering resources to implement while ensuring solutions achieve required quality levels, reliability, and consistency</li> <li>Create/modify layouts, drawings, and designs supporting manufacturing operations</li> <li>Incorporate engineering specifications into process and manufacturing techniques</li> </ul> <p><strong>Preferred Skills & Experience:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment, including frequent interactions with technicians, other engineers, and managers</li> <li>Highly self-motivated with strong organizational and written/oral communication skills – able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment with the ongoing drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of work</li> <li>Strong organizational skills, as well as verbal and written communication</li> <li>Strong project management, organizational, and communication skills</li> <li>Ability to plan and execute R&D projects</li> <li>Apply subject matter expertise to cutting edge technical needs, iterate efficiently, and clearly articulate issues</li> <li>Experience with interpreting engineering drawings and models; GD&T, etc</li> <li>Knowledge of lean and/or Six Sigma concepts</li> <li>Experience with best-in-class soft goods manufacturing techniques</li> <li>Proficiency and experience in using NX, TeamCenter</li> <li>Prior experience in a fast-paced manufacturing setting</li> <li>Willingness and desire to exemplify extreme ownership of flight critical spacecraft systems</li> <li>Proactive problem-solving skills such as failure analysis, root cause investigation, and DOE creation</li> <li>Experience working with design, analysis and build of soft-good components</li> <li>Strong ability to use data and analysis to make fast data driven decisions</li> </ul> <p><strong>Additional Requirements:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones</li> <li>Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted</li> </ul><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">Pay Range: California</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$162,360</span><span class="divider">—</span><span>$230,472 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-h