Associate Creative Director, Brand & Design

About Vast Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure to ensure 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 in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. With more than 1,000 employees at its Long Beach, California, headquarters and over a billion dollars in private capital invested, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy.

Vast

Building next-generation space infrastructure

V

vastspace.com

501-1,000 employees

Defense and Space Manufacturing

Long Beach, California

2021

Privately Held

115k LinkedIn followers

Raised $650M

• Own and evolve Vast's brand design standards, and make sure the work coming
• out of the team meets them every day, not just at major launches
• Manage a team of designers day-to-day: give feedback in real time, run
• reviews, and set clear direction on what good looks like
• Jump into the work yourself, sketching, editing, designing, when that's the
• fastest way to get something over the bar
• Lead creative work from concept through final execution across brand
• initiatives, campaigns, and key company moments
• Translate business goals and technical complexity into creative direction the
• team can actually run with
• Partner with marketing, comms, product, engineering, and business teams to
• spot where design can move the needle, and follow through on it
• Mentor designers on craft and judgment, not just process, help them get
• better at knowing what to cut
• Present creative direction to stakeholders, and hold the line on quality when
• there's pressure to compromise
• Keep a real pulse on how AI is changing design and production workflows, and
• bring that into how the team actually works

Required

• 8+ years of experience in brand, design, art direction, or a related creative
• discipline (e.g., brand design, digital design, visual communications,
• integrated marketing), with a proven track record of producing high-quality
• work yourself
• A strong portfolio that demonstrates hands-on craft across multiple channels
• and audiences, with a clear pull toward innovative, simple, and
• technically-minded work
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment, and genuinely enjoying the
• pace, volume, and ambiguity that come with it
• Experience managing a small design team: giving clear creative direction
• while staying deeply hands-on in the work itself
• A natural people mentor who develops direct reports and helps them grow their
• craft and confidence
• Experience translating business objectives, audience insights, and complex
• concepts into clear, executable creative
• Experience partnering with cross-functional teams including marketing,
• communications, product, engineering, operations, and leadership
• Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission
• milestones
• Pay Range: California
• $151,000—$256,000 USD
• We calibrate level and compensation to the selected candidate's experience and
• demonstrated capability. We welcome applicants across a range of experience
• levels to apply.

Preferred

• Experience building brand in aerospace, technology, science, or another
• category where the product is genuinely hard to explain
• Comfortable across brand design standards, design for print, ads, social,
• events, partnerships, mission graphics, facilities and wayfinding
• Experience translating highly technical, hard-to-explain products into
• stories that land with a broader audience without losing credibility with a
• technical one
• Experience managing external creative partners and production resources
• Comfortable in the room with engineers and executives, able to hold a point
• of view under pressure and get people aligned without watering down the work

• 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.