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 looking for a People Operations Associate, reporting to the Manager of People Operations, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.
The People Operations Associate is a key member of the People team, responsible for ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and efficiency of our HR systems and people processes. This role focuses on maintaining and improving our HRIS, developing data integrity processes, and supporting employee lifecycle operations from onboarding through offboarding.
You’ll work cross-functionally with People, IT, Legal and Payroll to enhance data consistency, streamline workflows, and ensure that our systems reflect accurate, actionable people data. This role is ideal for someone who is detail-oriented, process-driven, and thrives in collaborative, fast-paced environments.
This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.
Responsibilities:
- HRIS and Data Integrity
- Own and maintain the accuracy, completeness, and security of employee data in the HRIS.
- Develop, document, and implement processes that promote strong data integrity across all HR systems.
- Conduct regular audits to ensure data consistency, compliance, and reliability.
- Manage configuration updates, testing, and system enhancements to improve efficiency and usability.
- Create and analyze reports and dashboards to support people analytics and business decisions.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure smooth data flow between HRIS, payroll, and other integrated systems.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for HRIS data governance, ensuring best practices are followed across the organization.
- Employee Lifecycle & Operational Support
- Support all stages of the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, job changes, and offboarding.
- Own offboarding processes to ensure compliance, efficiency, and a positive employee experience.
- Maintain employee documentation, system updates, and records related to employment changes.
- Partner with the People team to coordinate and improve lifecycle processes and communications.
- Manage and regularly update internal People Operations resources on Confluence, ensuring documentation remains accurate and up to date.
- Collaboration & Project Management
- Partner with stakeholders across People, Finance, and IT to support projects that enhance system functionality and operational efficiency.
- Lead or contribute to process improvement initiatives focused on automation, data accuracy, and scalability.
- Coordinate project tasks, timelines, and communications for People Operations initiatives.
- Build strong cross-functional relationships to anticipate needs, resolve issues, and deliver a seamless employee experience.
Minimum Requirements:
- High School Diploma or equivalent certificate.
- 3–5 years of experience in People Operations, HR Systems Management, or HR Administration.
- Demonstrated expertise managing HRIS systems (Rippling experience highly preferred)
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
- High level of discretion and ability to handle confidential information with integrity.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills with a customer-service mindset.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Preferred Experience:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Human Resources, or related field.
- Experience supporting multi-location organizations.
- Familiarity with California employment practices and compliance requirements.
- Track record of implementing or optimizing HRIS systems and onboarding processes at scale.
- Project management experience.
Salary Pay Ranges
- People Operations Associate II: $73,000 - $114,000
- People Operations Associate III: $88,000 - $137,000
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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