Propulsion Manufacturing Lead for Space Station

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

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Paid time off

Parental leave

401(k)

Wellness program

Free meals

Job summary

Vast in Long Beach, CA, is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Propulsion, to lead the propulsion manufacturing team responsible for development, production readiness, and build execution of propulsion and pressurization hardware.

You will partner with propulsion and systems design teams to drive manufacturing readiness, review supplier processes, and maintain a strong safety and quality culture for high-pressure fluid hardware.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in mechanical, manufacturing, or aerospace engineering, or related discipline.
• 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 reviewing designs, manufacturing docs, and tooling.

Responsibilities

• Lead propulsion manufacturing engineering team day to day: set priorities, assign ownership, run team rhythms, mentor engineers.
• Participate in hiring and onboarding new engineers to the team.
• Own manufacturing development, production readiness, and build sequencing for propulsion and pressurization hardware, while staying hands-on with your own hardware.
• Own 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 and approve supplier processes and documentation.
• Partner with quality to define inspection methods, criteria, and controls for safety-critical fluid components.
• Set a strong safety and quality culture for high-pressure and hazardous fluid hardware.

Skills

Leadership

Manufacturing engineering

Propulsion hardware

CAD (Siemens NX)

Design for Manufacturing

Documentation

Safety culture

Problem solving

Team mentoring

Education

Bachelors degree in mechanical, manufacturing, or aerospace engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

Vast in Long Beach, CA, is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Propulsion, to lead the propulsion manufacturing team responsible for development, production readiness, and build execution of propulsion and pressurization hardware.

You will partner with propulsion and systems design teams to drive manufacturing readiness, review supplier processes, and maintain a strong safety and quality culture for high-pressure fluid hardware.