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 Guidance, Navigation, and Controls (GNC) Engineering Program Director reporting to the VP, Flight Dynamics and GNC, 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, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.
Responsibilities:
- Work with leadership to set goals, objectives and performance metrics for the GNC team in support of ongoing mission(s)
- Lead requirements gathering and other systems engineering functions for the GNC team in support of ongoing mission(s)
- Work with mission assurance to establish GNC contribution to and evaluation of metrics for validation and verification events
- Apply change, risk, and resource management principles
- Manage schedule and allocate resources in support of ongoing mission(s)
- Report detailed status to leadership and executive team
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering or similar discipline
- 8+ years of GNC engineering experience in the space industry
- 5+ years of hands-on C++ programming experience
Preferred Skills & Experience:
- Master’s Degree or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering or similar discipline
- Knowledge of computer applications and the ability to easily navigate through different computer software programs
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment
- Ability to make independent judgments with limited information
- Communication skills for relaying data (verbally and in-writing) between other employees, vendors, and customers
- Logical and strategic approach to solving problems
- Comfortable working in a high-stress environment balancing several projects at any given time, and the flexibility to adjust for abrupt changes in strategic direction
Additional Requirements:
- Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
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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