Propulsion Manufacturing Lead for Space Station Hardware

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

Benefits offered by this job

Company equity

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Generous vacation and PTO

Job summary

Vast is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Propulsion in Long Beach to spearhead the development and production of propulsion hardware for artificial‑gravity space stations. You will lead a team, own schedules, and ensure safety and quality in high‑pressure fluid systems.

Base on-site role with a focus on manufacturing readiness, tooling, and collaboration across propulsion, systems, and quality teams. Competitive compensation and equity are offered along with extensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, or aerospace engineering, or a 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 the ability to review designs, generate manufacturing documentation, and design assembly or test tooling.
• Experience mentoring engineers or leading a workstream, build, or small team (formal people management not required).
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends as needed to support critical propulsion testing and mission milestones.

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, while staying hands‑on with your own hardware.
• 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 directly 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

Manufacturing engineering

Fluid systems

Mentoring engineers

Evenings/weekends readiness

Education

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

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

Vast is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Propulsion in Long Beach to spearhead the development and production of propulsion hardware for artificial‑gravity space stations. You will lead a team, own schedules, and ensure safety and quality in high‑pressure fluid systems.

Base on-site role with a focus on manufacturing readiness, tooling, and collaboration across propulsion, systems, and quality teams. Competitive compensation and equity are offered along with extensive benefits.