Director, Satellite Business Development & Commercialization - Domestic

Vast; Long Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 151,000 - 232,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical, dental, vision

Paid time off

Meals and beverages on site

Job summary

Vast in Long Beach, CA seeks a Director, Satellite Business Development - Domestic (US) to lead commercial BD for Vast Satellites, engaging with US customers, primes, and government-adjacent teams to create and close multi-million-dollar opportunities.

The role requires deep US space market experience, strong executive relationships, and the ability to coordinate cross-functional teams across engineering, legal, and export-control to win large satellite bus platforms and services.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in US space/aerospace BD, sales, or capture with success in commercial space markets.
• Proven ability to originate and close contracts in tens of millions or more.
• Established executive relationships with potential customers in US commercial space.
• Background in space/aerospace value chain (launch, satellite bus, payload, prime integration, operations).
• Strong technical understanding to explain complex systems to commercial audiences.
• Excellent communication, analytical, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize, and manage multiple efforts in a fast-paced lean team.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute US commercial market strategy for satellites and services.
• Maintain market intelligence across US commercial space customers and competitors.
• Plan opportunity prioritization, capture strategy, and pipeline development.
• Engage customers across identification, mission scoping, briefings, and concept work.
• Lead teaming with commercial primes and collaborate with the National Security team.
• Leverage senior-level network to open doors with customers and identify threats.
• Oversee proposal development with cross-functional teams and BD analyst support.
• Own pipeline forecasting and reporting across US commercial accounts.
• Negotiate and close contracts from launch missions to large production deals.
• Represent Vast at events and deliver executive briefings on capabilities.

Skills

Space BD

Contract closing

Executive relationships

Technical communication

Independent work

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure using an incremental, hardware-rich, and low-cost approach. Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station 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. 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 2027, followed by additional Haven modules. Additionally, the company recently announced Vast Satellite, a high-power satellite product line leveraging its space station components and the heritage of Haven Demo.

Headquartered in Long Beach, California, and with more than 1,000 employees and over a billion dollars in private capital, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats and systems for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy.

Vast is looking for a Director, Satellite Business Development - Domestic (US), reporting to the SVP, Satellite Business Development & Commercialization, to lead commercial business development (communications, Earth observation, sensing, and in-orbit compute applications) for Vast Satellites in the United States. This role will lead customer engagement, opportunity development, capture strategy, and partnership efforts - including teaming with commercial primes - that advance Vast's initiatives to develop, manufacture, and operate advanced satellite bus platforms.

Vast maintains a dedicated National Security team that engages the US Government directly; this role owns the US commercial market and partners closely with that team where government programs route through commercial primes. This is a small, senior founding commercial team: the role demands both business development "hunter" instincts (creating markets and demand where none exist yet) and proven "closer" skills (negotiating and executing contracts from single-digit millions to hundreds of millions of dollars).

This will be a full-time, exempt position based in Long Beach, CA, with remote US considered on an exception-basis.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive US commercial market strategy across satellite communications, Earth observation, sensing, and in-orbit compute, aligned with Vast's business objectives.
• Build and maintain a market and competitive intelligence view across US commercial space customers and merchant-bus competitors, distinguishing Vast's positioning in each vertical.
• Lead internal planning for opportunity prioritization, capture strategy, and pipeline development across the US commercial market.
• Lead customer engagement across opportunity identification, mission scoping, capability briefings, and early concept development with US constellation operators, Earth observation companies, and commercial primes.
• Develop and manage teaming relationships with commercial primes (e.g., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, L3Harris), working jointly with Vast's National Security team where programs involve US Government end customers.
• Leverage a strong, pre-existing senior-level network across the US space value chain to open doors with potential customers and identify competitive threats early.
• Lead proposal development and coordinate cross-functional contributions from engineering, program management, finance, legal, and export-control/compliance teams, supported by the team's BD analyst and pre-sales engineer.
• Own pipeline development, forecasting, and reporting across all US commercial accounts.
• Negotiate and close contracts for satellite bus platforms and associated services, from initial launch missions to constellation-scale production agreements.
• Represent Vast at US space and aerospace industry events, conferences, and trade shows.
• Deliver presentations, participate in panels, and provide senior/C-suite-level briefings that communicate the capabilities and value of Vast's satellite platforms to commercial and prime-contractor audiences.

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant experience in US space/aerospace business development, sales, or capture management, with demonstrated success in commercial space markets.
• Proven track record of personally originating and closing contracts, including deals in the tens of millions of dollars or above.
• Established, verifiable senior and executive-level relationships with potential customers, and knowledge of the competitive landscape across the US commercial space market.
• Background in the space/aerospace value chain (launch, satellite bus, payload, prime integration, or operations), ideally complementary to satellite operations — e.g., Earth observation or prime-channel programs.
• Strong technical understanding and ability to communicate complex systems to commercial and prime-contractor audiences.
• Excellent communication, analytical, collaboration, and interpersonal skills; proven ability to work across internal team boundaries.
• Ability to operate independently, prioritize effectively, and manage multiple efforts simultaneously in a fast-paced, lean-team environment.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.
• Experience teaming with or selling through defense primes on space programs.
• Familiarity with export-control regimes (ITAR/EAR) and government-adjacent commercial contracting.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to travel 40-50%+ of the time.

Pay Range

• Director, Satellite Business Development: $151,000 - $215,000
• Senior Director, Satellite Business Development: $164,000 - $232,000

Pay Range: California

$151,000—$232,000 USD

We calibrate level and compensation to the selected candidate's experience and demonstrated capability. We welcome applicants across a range of experience levels to apply.

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

• 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.