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 Manager, Harness Engineering, reporting to the Vice President, Avionics 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:
- Recruit and empower a high-performing team of engineers to develop flight harnesses within a 3D NX CAD environment, from initial requirements to vehicle installation.
- Implement and verify that the team follows the standards, processes, and tools for the harnessing discipline. Document and communicate design, analysis and testing results thoroughly and clearly via design reviews.
- Champion the cross functional partnership with all harness stakeholders across all engineering teams, materials and processes, supply chain, quality, and manufacturing.
- Capture harness requirements from technical system owners and translate them into design requirements for your team to implement and verify.
- Manage technical trade studies to meet stakeholder objectives as well as adhere to internal design standards and requirements.
- Identify and manage project level development milestones in the form of analyses, demonstrations, and tests to ensure program success.
- Interface with harness production and integration teams to ensure final harness designs can be released, produced, and installed on schedule in accordance with overall project goals.
- Perform R&D investigations and trade studies to push wire harness design to new boundaries in terms of mass and cost savings.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Electrical engineering, or equivalent STEM degree or 10+ years of industry experience.
- 5+ years of mechanical design, cable harness design, routing, and testing.
- Experience with CAD and harness design software such as Zuken E3 for harness drawings.
- Hands-on experience with wire harness 3D design, wire harness installation drawings and formboard creation, wiring diagrams, 3D modeling of complex top-level assemblies, and installing and troubleshooting harnessing for aerospace applications.
Preferred Skills & Experience:
- 2+ years of experience in engineering leadership managing the design of technical projects.
- Track record of deploying products with successful space flight heritage. Manned spaceflight experience is preferred.
- Experience designing harnesses to IPC/WHMA-A-620, IPC/WHMA-A-620-S, and NASA-STD-8739.4.
- Developed processes for connector, wire, cable, fiber, overwrap, and shield component specification and selection for aerospace and defense applications.
- Owned wire harness analysis, testing, and qualification processes for a full spacecraft or subsystem. Performed analysis and physical testing of harnessing with respect to thermal, loads, vibration and shock to ensure full qualification for flight.
- Has hands-on experience with harness manufacturing and integration: fabricating harnesses, performing connector mates, routing harnesses, and performing electrical tests.
- Competence with electrical test equipment (multimeters, oscilloscopes, network analyzers, power supplies, etc.)
- Track record of producing documentation to meet the rigorous needs of prime contractors and/or quality assurance standards.
- Advanced experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter.
- Experience with ERP software or manufacturing software such as Manufacturo.
- Familiarity with modern approaches to harness manufacturing and software automation.
- Strong sense of accountability and integrity with excellent written and verbal communication skills. Must be able to manage and communicate with technical project managers and executive staff. Attention to detail in this role is critical.
Pay Range:
- Manager, Harness Engineering: $135,000-$176,000
- Senior Manager, Harness Engineering: $165,000-$200,000
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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