Director, Mission Engineering & Management

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

• analysis, and milestone tracking
• Own system-level requirements — capture in the digital twin toolchain, flow
• down to subsystem teams
• Own system budget closure against mission and customer requirements —
• engineering maintains the bottoms-up budgets (mass, power, data, link), you
• own whether they close with adequate margin and drive resolution when they
• don't
• Represent the customer and mission perspective within engineering — challenge
• system trades and design decisions against requirements, build consensus with
• the engineering team, and bring well-formed positions to customer
• negotiations
• Manage customer interface — payload requirements, ICD negotiations, and

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,
• Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline
• 8+ years of engineering experience in aerospace or defense
• 3+ years of program management, mission engineering, or systems engineering
• leadership experience
• Experience running satellite or complex hardware delivery programs —
• schedule, cost, customer management
• Strong systems engineering background — you can own requirements, budgets,
• and interfaces, not just track them
• Experience managing multi-unit builds (constellation, batch production, or
• similar)
• Managed customer and launch vehicle provider relationships
• Comfortable with fast-paced, lean programs — you're the kind of person who
• runs the schedule in a spreadsheet before the formal tools are set up
• Strong written and verbal communication — you'll represent the program to
• customers and leadership

Preferred

• Launch campaign experience (any launch provider)
• Payload accommodation and ICD negotiation experience across multiple customer
• types
• Experience with launch site facility operations
• Spectrum licensing and regulatory coordination
• Pay Range: California
• $188,600—$267,720 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.

• 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.