At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next-generation space stations to ensure a 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, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. 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 PCB Design Engineer, reporting to the Senior Manager, PCB Design, 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 responsible engineers to produce printed circuits board designs
- Design & layout custom printed circuit boards using IPC design standard and guidelines
- Work with vendors to determine stack up, routing feasibilities & ensure designs meet the DFM guidelines
- Collaborate with internal teams & PCB vendors to ensure board meet design requirements
- Generate required artworks & drawings for fabrication and assembly
- Develop and refine team processes for PCB design, part creation, and library/database standards
- Create, maintain and design in Altium Vault
- Develop PCB layout good practices and help train team members
- Write scripts to simplify processes.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a technical field and 4+ years of experience or 8+ years of layout experience in lieu of Bachelor’s degree.
- Expert knowledge of Altium Designer CAD tool.
- High-speed, impedance-controlled stack-up, multi-layer board layout design/
- Fine pitch BGA routing, including blind buried vias.
- Multi-rail power delivery and high-speed signal integrity constraints.
- Design constraint management, including trace length matching, spacing rules, etc.
- CID or CID+ certification.
Preferred Skills & Experience:
- Experience with PCB library management, component generation, high-speed digital & mixed signal board layout, floor planning.
- Good knowledge of IPC 2221A, IPC 6012 Class 3 and IPC 7351.
- Experience with variety of boards, including high density with 16 layers or more digital designs, power electronics, flex circuits & RF circuits.
- Expertise in PCB fabrication processes, limitations, design rules, and best practice.
- Excellent communication skills and ability to work cooperatively with others.
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
Additional Requirements:
- Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
Pay Range:
- PCB Design Engineer II: $112,340 - $159,468
- Senior PCB Design Engineer: $137,760 - $195,552
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: medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, 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 & onsite barista, 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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in a technical field and 4+ years experience (or 8+ years of layout experience in lieu of Bachelor's)
- Expert knowledge of Altium Designer CAD tool
- Create, maintain, and design in Altium Vault
- High-speed, impedance-controlled stack-up and multi-layer board layout design
- Fine-pitch BGA routing including blind and buried vias
- Multi-rail power delivery and high-speed signal integrity constraints experience
- Design constraint management including trace length matching and spacing rules
- CID or CID+ certification
- Ability to work with vendors on stack-up, routing feasibility, and DFM guidelines
- Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
- Must be a U.S. person or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing (per export control compliance)
- Write scripts to simplify PCB design and library processes
- PCB library management, component generation, high-speed digital & mixed-signal board layout, and floor planning
- Knowledge of IPC 2221A, IPC 6012 Class 3, and IPC 7351
- Experience with high-density designs (16+ layers), power electronics, flex circuits, and RF circuits
- Expertise in PCB fabrication processes, limitations, design rules, and best practices
- Excellent communication skills and ability to work cooperatively in a team environment
Vast Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Vast and has not been reviewed or approved by Vast.
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials describe comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents from day one, alongside primary care and mental‑health programs. These provisions are repeatedly emphasized as a core part of the total rewards package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Information highlights generous PTO with an annual cash‑out option, paid parental leave, sick time, and company holidays, with flexible PTO for exempt staff. These features indicate broad time‑off support across multiple needs.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Onsite meals and snacks, fitness memberships or stipends, and wellness resources (e.g., One Medical and Spring Health) are prominently offered. Such perks appear designed to enhance daily work experience and overall wellbeing.
Vast Insights
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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