Manufacturing Engineering, Structures Engineering Long Beach, CA

Vast Space Llc.; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company equity

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Paid time off and vacation

401(k) retirement plan

Free meals and onsite perks

Job summary

Vast Space Llc. in Long Beach, CA, is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to drive the development and execution of human-rated vehicle processes as Haven-1 moves from design to flight readiness.

The role focuses on welding, fabrication, and assembly across multiple centers, with emphasis on manufacturability and quality. The position is full-time/exempt in Long Beach, requiring hands-on fabrication experience and CAD proficiency, with opportunities to mentor and lead projects within a growing

Qualifications

• B.S. in mechanical, aerospace, manufacturing or electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, or a related technical field.
• Manufacturing experience managing a product/product line across multiple work centers and/or departments, fluid, pressurized, propulsion, or environmental control hardware in design, manufacturing, or test.
• 2-4+ years of experience for Manufacturing Engineer II
• 4-6+ years of experience for Senior Manufacturing Engineer
• Hands-on fabrication, assembly, and/or integration experience; CAD proficiency (NX preferred)

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the build and inspection process for the assembly of the primary structure
• Develop and refine manufacturing processes, including welding, trimming, shearing, rolling, bending, and more to meet design and business requirements including safety, quality, efficiency and delivery
• Document and standardize welding and other processes and own the creation and modification of manufacturing planning/work instructions
• Collaborate with other engineers, subject matter experts, and technicians to solve large-scale production challenges
• Work with design engineers to evaluate designs for manufacturability and implementation in a rapidly evolving production environment
• Resolve product non-conformances and collaborate with the quality team to implement root cause corrective actions
• Help manufacturing and engineering teams to identify, plan, and execute capital equipment, machine, and layout upgrades to meet volume production demand
• Develop and refine floor layouts, capacity models, and product flow analysis to ensure on-time vehicle delivery to manifest

Skills

Fabrication

CAD NX

Teamcenter

GD&T

Manufacturing processes

Root cause analysis

Quality inspection

Welding

Education

B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace/ Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Teamcenter PLM

Ansys

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 Manufacturing Engineer, Structures, to help develop the systems behind our human-rated space stations. You will drive the development and execution of human-rated vehicle processes as Haven-1 transitions from design to a flight-ready station.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach, CA location.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the build and inspection process for the assembly of the primary structure
• Develop and refine manufacturing processes, including: welding, trimming, shearing, rolling, bending, and more to meet all design and business requirements including safety, quality, efficiency and delivery
• Document and standardize welding and other processes and own the creation and modification of manufacturing planning/work instructions
• Collaborate with other engineers, subject matter experts, and technicians to solve large-scale production challenges
• Work with design engineers to evaluate designs for manufacturability and implementation in a rapidly evolving production environment
• Resolve product non-conformances and collaborate with the quality team to implement root cause corrective actions
• Help manufacturing and engineering teams to identify, plan, and execute capital equipment, machine, and layout upgrades to meet volume production demand
• Develop and refine floor layouts, capacity models, and product flow analysis to ensure on-time vehicle delivery to manifest

Minimum Qualifications:

• B.S. in mechanical, aerospace, manufacturing or electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, or a related technical field
• Manufacturing experience (including internships) managing a product/product line across multiple work centers and/or departments, fluid, pressurized, propulsion, or environmental control hardware in design, manufacturing, or test
• 2-4+ years of experience for Manufacturing Engineer II
• 4-6+ years of experience for Senior Manufacturing Engineer
• Hands-on fabrication, assembly, and/or integration experience; CAD proficiency (NX preferred)

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Hands-on experience building or testing hardware, in industry or through student teams such as Formula SAE, rocketry, CubeSat, or robotics
• Experience with aerospace, spacecraft, propulsion, or other safety-critical or high-reliability hardware
• Experience taking designs or processes from concept through build or test, and from R&D to production
• Familiarity with CAD tools, ideally Siemens NX, and PLM tools such as Teamcenter
• Exposure to thermal or structural analysis using Ansys, or similar tools
• Awareness of aerospace workmanship, design, and environmental test standards such as IPC, SMC-S-016, NASA-STD-5001, or MIL-STD-810
• Proficiency applying GD&T
• Strong problem-solving skills, including troubleshooting and structured root cause analysis
• Strong attention to detail, clear communication, and the ability to work well in cross-functional teams
• Senior Level: experience mentoring engineers or technicians and managing multiple projects at once

Additional Requirements:

• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Pay Ranges:

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.

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.

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 be considered for deemed export licensing. To assist Vast in assessing its export compliance obligations in relation to your application, please identify which ITAR/EAR status applies to you:

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Vast’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.