Director, People Business Partners

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

• Develop and own the People Business Partner strategy and multi-year operating
• model for the team, defining how business partnering scales with Vast's
• continued growth in headcount, sites, and product lines, and evolving team
• structure, coverage, and capability to stay ahead of the business.
• Lead, develop, and inspire the People Business Partner team, setting clear
• priorities, coaching for impact, and building the capability and career
• growth of each team member.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to Vast's executive leaders and their teams on
• organizational design, workforce planning, leadership effectiveness, talent
• management, and change leadership as the company scales.
• Define and continuously improve the People Business Partner operating model —
• including coverage, service standards, escalation paths, and how the team
• engages with Centers of Excellence such as Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards,
• People Operations, Talent Development, and Employee Relations.
• Drive alignment, clear ownership, and  successful execution of company-wide
• people programs through  the PBP team, including performance management, goal
• setting, cyclical performance & compensation cycles and succession planning
• Translate business strategy into people strategy, partnering with leaders to
• anticipate organizational needs ahead of major program and production
• milestones.
• Bring a strategic, enterprise-wide mindset to Vast's geographic footprint,
• designing business partner coverage and practices that work across our
• locations in California, Houston, Washington, D.C., Japan, and France, and
• partnering with Legal, People Operations, and local leadership to navigate
• differing employment frameworks, cultural norms, and growth trajectories at
• each site.
• Support Vast's evolution into a multi-product company, partnering with
• leaders across Haven space stations, Vast Satellite, and future product lines
• to shape organizational structures, talent strategies, and ways of working
• that allow each business to scale while sharing a common culture and people
• infrastructure.
• Coach senior leaders and managers on building high-performing, inclusive
• teams, navigating complex organizational dynamics and changes, and delivering
• meaningful performance feedback.
• Champion employee engagement across the company, using survey data, exit and
• stay insights, and frontline feedback to shape action plans and measure
• progress.
• Leveraging and driving people analytics as a core practice within the team,
• ensuring high data accuracy in our HR systems and using people data to
• proactively  identify trends, inform decisions, and tell a clear story to
• leadership.
• Partner with Legal and Employee Relations to ensure compliant, consistent,
• and fair practices across a multi-site workforce with a significant hourly
• population.
• Build scalable, efficient HR workflows and processes that keep pace with the
• growth of the business without sacrificing quality or care for our people.
• Model and reinforce our cultural values of respect, curiosity, action, and
• excellence in all interactions.

Required

• Bachelor's degree in human resource management, business, or a related field,
• or equivalent years of experience.
• 12+ years of progressive HR experience, including 6+ years in a Business
• Partner capacity supporting senior and executive leaders.
• 5+ years of experience directly managing and developing a team of HR Business
• Partners.
• Demonstrated success partnering with executives on organizational design,
• workforce planning, and leading teams through significant change.
• Experience in a start-up or a fast-paced, high-growth, hardware, or
• manufacturing environment.
• Deep expertise across core HR domains, including performance management,
• talent management, compensation planning, and employee relations.
• Strong understanding of California wage & hour and employment law.
• Exceptional judgment, discretion, and the ability to influence at all levels
• of the organization.
• required.
• Willingness to work flexible hours to support critical mission milestones and
• international offices as needed.
• Director, People Business Partners: $184,000 - $240,000
• Senior Director, People Business Partners: $217,000 - $275,000
• Pay Range: California
• $184,000—$275,000 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 leading a People Business Partner function in an aerospace,
• defense, or complex hardware manufacturing company.
• Experience supporting Manufacturing or operations-heavy groups with large
• hourly workforces across multiple sites.
• Track record of scaling an HRBP team and operating model through a period of
• rapid headcount growth and change.
• Experience supporting teams in international locations.
• Strong knowledge of and experience with HR systems and people analytics
• tools.
• SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent certification.
• Ability to prioritize competing demands and lead a team through ambiguity in
• a dynamic, evolving environment.

• 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.