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 Staff Avionics Test Engineer, reporting to the Director of Avionics Testing, to support the development of the automated testing 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
- Design Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL / HIL) test assets to provide system level validation of Haven-1 avionics, including closed-loop simulation of relevant Use Cases
- Work with Responsible Engineers and System owners across the organization to capture test design criteria for avionics test systems
- Supervise Test Engineers and Technicians to build and commission HITL test systems
- Develop component and system level test cases, implement them on test systems and validate their outputs with internal stakeholders
- Work with subject matter experts to develop and implement interfaces to co-simulation strategies for Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) applications
- Perform troubleshooting and debug of avionics test systems
- Lead test system design reviews for avionics test systems
- Lead and coach troubleshooting and debug efforts across the wider team
- Produce documentation for test systems and support handover to test operators
- Support architecting the automated test framework for Vast overall, and lead local efforts to implement on avionics test systems
- Serve as a mentor for junior engineers within the Avionics Test team, coordinating efforts of complex projects and tasks
- Serve as a stand-in for peer Staff Avionics Test Engineer responsible for avionics component test hardware
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or other hard science
- 8+ years of post bachelor’s experience working with and developing hardware test systems
- 2+ years experience working with either C++ or python
- Experience building and maintaining Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL / HIL) test systems
- Experience operating and maintaining linux systems, including confident use of command line tools
- Experience designing and building systems with a modular DAQ ecosystem (e.g. NI, Weidmuller, Bechoff)
- Familiarity with basic electrical and wiring concepts including grounding and electrical safety
Preferred Skills & Experience
- Strong documentation and communication skills
- Hands-on experience with product testing
- Experience with embedded systems design and/or testing
- Experience with testing protocols and standards relevant to space systems
- Experience coordinating and/or supervising the outputs of other engineers
- Experience developing applications in python
- Familiarity with Git, Cmake, and GNU tools
- Knowledge of CI/CD and issue tracking tools such as the Atlassian Suite (JIRA, Bitbucket, Confluence) and Github
- Fault-tolerant and safety-critical software design
- Experience designing and/or maintaining computer networks
- Experience working with satellite communications or telemetry systems
- Experience with power supplies, electronic loads, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and digital multimeters
Additional Requirements
- Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
- Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted
Salary Range: California
$160,000—$200,000 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.
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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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