Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Vast; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 137,760 - 195,552; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company equity

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Generous paid time off

Food perks including free snacks and meals

Job summary

Vast in Long Beach is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to support the development of human-rated space stations. This role involves designing vehicle structures, managing subsystem interfaces, and enhancing design processes.

Ideal candidates will have a Bachelor’s degree in engineering and 5+ years of CAD/Design experience. Preferred skills include aerospace design and strong organizational capabilities. The position offers competitive compensation and benefits.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant CAD/Design experience or equivalent.
• Experience with ASME Y14.100, Y14.5, Y14.41.

Responsibilities

• Design vehicle structures from conceptual phase to product release.
• Define and manage interfaces between vehicle subsystems.
• Develop design process improvements via simplification or automation.
• Provide technical assistance to integration and testing activities.

Skills

CAD/Design experience

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Mechanical engineering design

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next‑generation space stations 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.

Using an incremental, hardware‑rich and low‑cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi‑module Haven Station. 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, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030.

Our team is all‑in, committed to executing our mission safely and on time. If you want to work with the most talented people on Earth furthering space exploration for humanity, come join us.

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, reporting to the Senior Manager of Structures Design, will support the development of the systems required for the design and build of the first commercial human‑rated space stations. This full‑time, exempt position is located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities

• Design vehicle structures from the conceptual phase through product release and manufacturing release.
• Define and manage interfaces between vehicle subsystems.
• Develop design process improvements via simplification or automation.
• Provide technical assistance to integration and testing activities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering with 5+ years of relevant CAD/Design experience or equivalent.
• Experience with ASME Y14.100, Y14.5, Y14.41.
• Experience with Siemens NX.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Aerospace or automotive design experience.
• Self‑motivated with strong multi‑tasking, organizational, communication and documentation skills.
• Ability to work well in an integrated team including daily interactions with technicians, engineers, and managers.
• Experience designing and managing large CAD assemblies and associated drawings.
• Demonstrated development and configuration management experience on technically complex hardware products.
• Knowledge of mechanical engineering design, analysis, and manufacturing.

Additional Requirements

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

Pay Ranges

• Senior Design Engineer: $137,760 – $195,552 (California).

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary varies based on job‑related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand.
• Full‑time employees receive company equity and a comprehensive benefits package, 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 for non‑exempt staff (with cash‑out option), paid parental leave, short and long‑term disability insurance, life insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, ClassPass credits, personalized mental health care through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks.
• Food perks include free snacks, drip coffee with onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals; lunch is subsidized.

U.S. Export Control Compliance Status

• The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls and therefore must be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 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.