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 August 2025. 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 Planner II (Additive), reporting to the Manager, Manufacturing Operations, 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 and Hawthorne locations. Join the team as we help manufacture the world's first private space station.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and maintain production schedules, demand forecasts, resource availability, and capacity analysis.
- Coordinate with procurement and supply chain teams to ensure timely availability of materials and components required for manufacturing.
- Analyze internal and external capacity and identify bottlenecks or constraints.
- Monitor inventory levels of raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods.
- Implement strategies to minimize excess inventory while ensuring continuity of production.
- Communicate to engineering and leadership with no later than release dates for manufacturing deadlines.
- Coordinate with engineering and quality assurance teams to ensure adherence to specifications and standards.
- Monitor production progress and identify deviations from the schedule.
- Take corrective actions to mitigate delays and maintain on-time delivery.
- Identify opportunities for process improvement and efficiency gains.
- Implement best practices to enhance manufacturing processes and reduce lead times.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including manufacturing, procurement, engineering, and logistics to align on plans and resolve issues.
Minimum Qualifications:
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- 2+ years experience in manufacturing planning, scheduling, or operations management.
- Proficiency in using enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and manufacturing execution systems (MES).
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams are crucial for success in this role.
Preferred Skills & Experience:
- Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles and Six Sigma methodologies.
- Understanding of Quality Management in aerospace manufacturing.
- Committed to continuous improvement and a willingness to embrace new technologies, methodologies, and best practices.
- Basic knowledge of Additive manufacturing included but not limited to alloys, printers, post processing and material testing.
Additional Requirements:
- Willingness to work late & weekends on an as needed basis to support critical milestones.
- Able to travel 50% of the time between our Hawtorne and Long Beach sites.
Pay Ranges:
- $73,000 - $105,000
Salary Range: California
$73,000—$105,000 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, free catered meals and snacks and beverages, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, One Medical membership, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks.
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.
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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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