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 2026. It is part of our stepping stone approach to continuous human presence in LEO. 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 seeking an Industrial Engineer to lead a foundational role in driving operational excellence across our manufacturing facilities. Reporting to the Director of Operational Excellence, this position will focus on defining key performance metrics, optimizing production processes, and providing leadership with actionable data to improve throughput, efficiency, and accountability.
The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced, hands-on environment, collaborates effectively across functions, and balances tactical execution with strategic process improvement.
This is a full-time, exempt position based in Long Beach, California.
Responsibilities:
- Define key performance metrics for each work center and design data systems to track and measure them effectively.
- Identify process bottlenecks and lead continuous improvement initiatives in partnership with manufacturing leaders and engineers.
- Conduct time and motion studies to establish process baselines and uncover efficiency opportunities.
- Maintain and update production floor plans, serving as the primary authority on floor space allocation and work center layouts.
- Provide actionable data and insights to hold teams and leaders accountable for delivery performance and operational goals.
- Act as a project management resource for manufacturing initiatives such as process qualifications, AS9100 certification, and general work center readiness.
- Facilitate regular (e.g., bi-weekly) production efficiency and schedule/rate review meetings with supply chain, quality, and manufacturing leadership to assess performance and drive corrective action.
- Support ad-hoc projects and operational challenges, providing flexible, hands-on problem-solving for the manufacturing organization.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.
- 3+ years of experience in a manufacturing or operations-focused industrial engineering role.
- Strong analytical skills with demonstrated experience in data collection, analysis, and reporting.
- Proven ability to lead process improvement initiatives, including bottleneck analysis and workflow optimization.
- Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a track record of effective cross-functional collaboration.
- Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles, with experience leading implementation.
- Experience using business analytics tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, SQL) and integrating data from multiple sources to support decision-making.
Preferred Skills & Experience:
- Lean or Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher preferred).
- Familiarity with AS9100 or other quality management systems.
- Experience maintaining and optimizing manufacturing floor plans and layouts.
- Proven ability to facilitate cross-functional meetings to drive operational performance and accountability.
- Prior experience supporting certifications, process qualifications, or other manufacturing readiness initiatives.
- Advanced proficiency in business analytics and data visualization, including integration of manufacturing and supply chain data systems.
- Experience utilizing time and motion analysis techniques, such as MOST.
Pay Range:
Senior Industrial Engineer: $115,000 - $165,000
Staff Industrial Engineer: $138,000 - $194,000
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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