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 Manufacturing Engineer, Life Support Systems (ECLSS), reporting to the Director, ECLSS, to support the development and production of the hardware and systems required for the design and build of inertial-gravity human-rated space stations. This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.
As a Life Support Systems Engineer at Vast, you will have the opportunity to utilize your knowledge, experience, and creativity to develop novel solutions at the cutting edge of space technology. Our team is developing the necessary hardware to maintain environmental and thermal control as well as support life onboard our artificial-gravity commercial space station. This is a challenging role, as it involves design, analysis, testing, and manufacturing of components that are absolutely critical to the safety of future astronauts and passengers.
Responsibilities:
- Own the development and production of the environmental control and life support systems for Vast’s inertial-gravity space station, from initial design trades to fully functional and validated system
- Develop and iterate prototype hardware, manufacturing processes, and qualification testing in a fast-paced, schedule-critical environment
- Own the product delivery timeline from initial design through production, launch, and orbital insertion
- Work directly with Responsible Engineering, Test Engineering, and Integration Engineering to develop and execute hardware assessment tests at appropriate manufacturing milestones
- Lead design reviews internally and externally with suppliers and customers
- Work with interdisciplinary stakeholders to ensure the component will integrate with the necessary avionics, software, and mission operations systems
- Enforce DFM checkpoints during design and development to ensure manufacturability and reliability
- Bring technical excellence to all aspects of Vast
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering or science discipline
- 3+ years of experience working with fluid or environmental control systems or components
- 1+ years of hands-on hardware experience performing fabrication, assembly and/or testing
Preferred Skills & Experience:
- Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or physics
- Proactive problem-solving skills such as failure analysis, root cause investigation, and design of experiment creation
- Ability to perform trade studies using first principles and engineering fundamentals to make clear recommendations even with partial information
- Experience with rotating machinery (fans, pumps, etc)
- Experience with soft goods
- Experienced in NX
- Solid understanding and application of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and tolerance stack-up analysis
- Experience with structural analysis methods (hand calcs, FEMAP, ANSYS) in order to optimize hardware to strength requirements as well as to evaluate for life and fracture
- Knowledge of metallic and fluid system manufacturing techniques, processes, equipment, and other processes such as machining, welding, brazing, tube bending, etcetera
- Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment, including frequent interactions with technicians, other engineers, and managers
- Highly self-motivated with strong organizational and written/oral communication skills – able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment with the ongoing drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of work
Pay Range:
- Manufacturing Engineer II: $100,000-$132,000
- Senior Manufacturing Engineer: $120,000-$164,000
Salary Range: California
$100,000—$164,000 USD
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
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: 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, flexible paid time off for exempt staff and up to 10 days of vacation for non-exempt staff, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, One Medical membership, 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, 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.
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
Vast is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vast is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Similar Jobs
.png)
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.
Gallery
