Lead Propulsion Manufacturing Engineer — Space Station

Vast; City of Long Beach (NY); On-site; USD 136,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

PTO 20+ days

Parental leave

Disability insurance

Life insurance

401(k)

ClassPass credits

Spring Health

Food perks

Snacks and beverages

Lunch subsidies

Job summary

Vast is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Propulsion in Long Beach, CA, to lead the propulsion manufacturing engineering team responsible for development, production readiness, and build execution of propulsion hardware, valves, regulators, tubing, ducting, COPVs, and instrumentation.

You will mentor engineers, drive hiring, own schedules, and partner with design teams to ensure manufacturability and safety-critical hardware quality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, or aerospace engineering.
• Minimum 5+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, propulsion, or high-reliability fluid systems.
• 3+ years of hands-on hardware experience supporting fabrication, assembly, integration, and/or testing of fluid system hardware.
• Experience developing manufacturing processes, travelers, work instructions, and production documentation for safety-critical fluid hardware.
• Experience with CAD tools (e.g., Siemens NX) and ability to review designs and generate manufacturing documentation.

Responsibilities

• Lead the propulsion manufacturing engineering team day to day: set priorities, assign ownership, run team rhythms, and mentor engineers.
• Participate in hiring and onboarding new engineers to the team.
• Own manufacturing development, production readiness, and build execution for propulsion and pressurization hardware, including valves, regulators, tubing, ducting, manifolds, COPVs, fittings, and instrumentation.
• Own the propulsion manufacturing schedule and build sequencing across development, qualification, and flight builds.
• Report hardware status, risks, and mitigation plans to program leadership.
• Partner with propulsion and systems design teams to drive design for manufacturing and manufacturing readiness.
• Develop, qualify, and optimize manufacturing processes and production equipment, including welding, brazing, tube fabrication, precision cleaning, and proof and leak testing.
• Work with suppliers on manufacturing readiness, including review and approval of supplier processes and documentation.
• Partner with quality engineering to define inspection methods, acceptance criteria, and process controls for safety-critical fluid components.
• Set a strong safety and quality culture for high-pressure and hazardous fluid hardware.

Skills

Team leadership

Mentoring engineers

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem-solving

Willingness to work odd hours

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, or aerospace engineering

Master’s degree in engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

Vast is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Propulsion in Long Beach, CA, to lead the propulsion manufacturing engineering team responsible for development, production readiness, and build execution of propulsion hardware, valves, regulators, tubing, ducting, COPVs, and instrumentation.

You will mentor engineers, drive hiring, own schedules, and partner with design teams to ensure manufacturability and safety-critical hardware quality.