At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. We are building artificial gravity space stations, allowing long-term stays in space without the adverse effects of zero-gravity. Our initial crewed space habitat will be Haven-1, scheduled to be the world’s first commercial space station when it launches into low earth orbit in May 2026. 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.
Vast is looking for a Senior Avionics Test Engineer, reporting to the Director of Avionics Testing, to support the development of the automated testing systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.
This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.
Responsibilities:
- Design, build, and commission test systems for avionics systems and associated electronics hardware
- Work with Responsible Engineers across the organization to capture test requirements for avionics test systems
- Develop component and system level test cases, implement them on test systems and validate their outputs with internal stakeholders
- Perform troubleshooting and debug of avionics test systems
- Lead test system design reviews for avionics test systems
- Lead and coach efforts to troubleshooting and debug efforts across the wider team
- Produce documentation for test systems and support handover to test operators
- Support architecting the automated test framework for Vast overall, and lead local efforts to implement on avionics test systems
- Work with subject matter experts to develop and implement interfaces to co-simulation strategies for Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) applications
- Serve as a mentor for junior engineers within the Avionics Test team, coordinating efforts of complex projects and tasks
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering or other hard science
- 5+ years of post bachelor’s experience working with and developing hardware test systems
- 2+ years experience working with either C++ or python
- Experience operating and maintaining linux systems, including confident use of command line tools
- Experience designing and building systems with a modular DAQ ecosystem (e.g. NI, Weidmuller, Bechoff)
- Familiarity with basic electrical and wiring concepts including grounding and electrical safety
Preferred Skills & Experience:
- Strong documentation and communication skills
- Hands-on experience with product testing
- Experience with testing protocols and standards relevant to space systems
- Experience coordinating and/or supervising the outputs of other engineers
- Experience developing applications in python
- Familiarity with Git, Cmake, and GNU tools
- Knowledge of CI/CD and issue tracking tools such as the Atlassian Suite (JIRA, Bitbucket, Confluence) and Github
- Understanding of Linux kernel software and drivers
- Experience with Embedded Systems
- Fault-tolerant and safety-critical software design
- Experience developing software for complex systems such as spacecraft, aircraft or autonomous vehicles
- Network programming experience
- Experience working with satellite communications or telemetry systems
- Familiarity with power supplies, electronic loads, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and digital multimeters
Additional Requirements:
- Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
- Ability to lift up to 25lbs unassisted
Pay Range:
- Senior Avionics Test Engineer: $135,000-$165,000
- Staff Avionics Test Engineer: $160,000-$200,000
U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS
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 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 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, not pending.EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
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What We Do
Vast is developing next-generation space stations 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 2026, 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.
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