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>Tooling Engineer</strong>, reporting to the<strong> Senior Manager of Tooling, </strong>to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. This will be a full-time, <strong>exempt</strong> position located in our <strong>Long Beach </strong>location. </p> <p><strong>Responsibilities: </strong></p> <ul> <li>Own the design, activation, and implementation, and support fabrication, of fixtures and tooling required for Haven-1 assembly, lifting, and handling.</li> <li>Work with Integration and Manufacturing to define vehicle integration flow, manufacturing process, concepts and tooling interfaces.</li> <li>Collaborate with vehicle engineering and production to define fixture and tooling specifications, qualification plans, and introduce to production.</li> <li>Perform mechanical analysis for spacecraft fixtures.</li> <li>Develop operation and maintenance plans for all test fixtures and tooling. Assist the facilities manager(s) in all aspects of project implementation as needed</li> <li>Manage schedule on assigned projects including critical next steps, deadlines, and outcome.</li> <li>Manage vendor relationships and coordinate meetings to identify new technologies and how they can be applied to Vast’s cutting edge applications.</li> <li>Develop, test, and implement tool improvements to yield time savings or tolerance improvements.</li> <li>Coordinate tooling modifications related to part, production, or other changes.</li> <li>Work closely with engineering stakeholders and technicians to solve production-related issues. </li> </ul> <p><strong>Minimum Qualifications:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, or other engineering discipline</li> <li>Experience with GD&T</li> <li>1+ years of experience in aerospace/mechanical/automotive design and/or tooling. (University capstone/competitive projects and prior internship experience may apply)</li> <li>1+ years of experience in NX or other 3D CAD packages</li> <li>Hands-on experience with handling, lifting, or building engineered assemblies</li> <li>Experience making and running FEA models on structural components</li> <li>Knowledge of project planning and execution practices, including logic-linked schedule management</li> <li>Strong communication skills.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Preferred Skills & Experience:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Experience with work orders and assembly instructions.</li> <li>Design of pneumatic, electrical, or hydraulic motion systems.</li> <li>Critical lifting and break overs fixtures.</li> <li>Integration tooling design</li> <li>A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and hands-on design and development.</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>$86,000</span><span class="divider">—</span><span>$122,000 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, n