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 VP of Avionics, reporting to the SVP of Engineering, to accelerate the development of the electronic and computer systems that are at the heart of our artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. This position requires a deep understanding of space electronics, system architecture, and regulatory compliance, maintaining the highest standards of safety and performance.
This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute the strategic roadmap and standards for how we build avionics for a human-rated spacecraft.
- Recruit and empower a diverse, high-performing team.
- Collaborate with engineering leaders across the company to appropriately influence the architecture and ensure all necessary trades are accounted for to maximize mission success and safety.
- Closely partner with manufacturing to build high quality electronics.
- Oversee the research, development, testing, and certification of avionics hardware and software.
- Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including regulatory agencies, industry partners, and suppliers.
- Drive continuous improvement and innovation in avionics technologies, including flight control systems, communication, navigation, and automation.
- Manage budgeting, resource allocation, and cost control to align with corporate financial objectives.
- Identify and mitigate risks associated with avionics system development and integration.
- Foster a culture of technical excellence, teamwork, and accountability within the avionics department.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field
- 10+ years of experience in avionics system development
- 5+ years in a senior leadership role
- Demonstrated knowledge of avionics architecture, embedded systems, software development, and system integration
- Proven track record of leading large-scale avionics projects from concept to certification
Preferred Skills:
- Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field
- Excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills
- Strong business acumen and the ability to align technical objectives with company goals
- Ability to creatively solve problems and weigh against multi-disciplinary requirements together while assessing risk and making design and development decisions
- Understanding of electrical schematics and electronics manufacturing to analyze and improve test coverage
- Strong sense of accountability and integrity with excellent written and verbal communication skills
Additional Requirements:
- Ability to travel up to 10% of the time.
- Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones.
Salary Range: California
$250,000—$300,000 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.
Top Skills
What We Do
Vast is developing artificial gravity space stations to expand humanity across the solar system.
Vast’s mission is to enable large populations of humans to live and work in space, permanently.
Our solar system has the resources and room for humanity to thrive and expand without destroying Earth’s biosphere. Unlocking these resources requires in-space infrastructure and industry at an unprecedented scale.
We are building a world-class team to engineer the human experience in space.
Why Work With Us
We're developing artificial gravity space stations to expand humanity across the solar system in order to enable large populations to live and work in space. Not only is what we're working on groundbreaking, but the team prides itself on living by our values of respect, curiosity, action, and excellence making it a lot more fun to achieve our goal.
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