Senior Mechanical Engineer, Lunar

Socket.dev; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 137,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

401(k) plan

Onsite meals

Paid time off

Job summary

Vast is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer, Lunar, in Long Beach to help build the Moon’s pioneering ecosystem. You will own hardware from concept through flight release, collaborating with power, thermal, avionics, life support, and industrial design teams.

The role requires a B.S. in engineering, 6+ years in space hardware design, and strong CAD/communication skills. This full-time, exempt position offers equity and a comprehensive benefits package, including meals and family-friendly perks.

Qualifications

• B.S. in engineering or related technical discipline.
• Hands-on CAD proficiency with flight release experience.
• Experience owning a hardware subsystem end-to-end.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end lunar engineering projects (solar/battery power, consumables pallets, airlocks, nodes, habitation modules).
• Lead trade studies interfacing with power, thermal, avionics, life support, and industrial design teams.
• Develop and maintain CAD models (NX or equivalent) and release.
• Drive fabrication, assembly, and integration with manufacturing teams.
• Lead hardware bring-up, checkout, and anomaly resolution.
• Represent systems at design reviews and milestones.

Skills

Hands-on CAD proficiency

Subsystem ownership end-to-end

Reading drawings/diagrams

Strong communication

Flexible to travel

Education

B.S. in aerospace/mechanical/electrical/materials/physics

Tools

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.

Vast is looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer, Lunar, reporting to the Senior Vice President, Lunar Programs, to support the development of the systems that will be required for Vast’s Lunar ecosystem. Our team is applying the technology, infrastructure, and knowledge built across our Haven Demo, Haven-1, Haven Station, and Vast Satellite programs to a new frontier: the Moon. Our Lunar program isn't starting from scratch, giving this founding team an extraordinary running start to help shape humanity's next era of lunar exploration from day one.

As one of the earliest Mechanical Engineers on the Lunar team, you'll play an outsized part in developing Vast’s lunar ecosystem. In this role you will have the opportunity to cover a wide range of components and systems for the Moon. You will concept, design, build, and test engineered systems that require an understanding of mechanical design, power systems, fluid systems, mechanisms, and materials engineering. The ideal candidate will be a full-ownership responsible engineer with broad knowledge that can take a product from beginning to end

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

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end lunar engineering projects such as solar and battery power stations, gas and fluids consumables pallets, airlocks, nodes, and habitation modules
• Lead trade studies on lunar designs, interfacing with power, thermal, avionics, life support, and industrial design teams
• Work with lunar subject matter experts and systems architects to bring lunar concepts to reality that mesh with Vast’s larger lunar ecosystem and NASA’s Moon Base architecture
• Develop and maintain CAD models (NX or equivalent), flowing design intent through to fabrication and release
• Drive fabrication, assembly, and integration of hardware, partnering with manufacturing and integration teams on design-for-manufacturing
• Lead hardware bring-up, checkout, and anomaly resolution
• Represent your systems at design reviews and program milestones

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of a B.S. in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, materials engineering, mathematics, physics, or related technical discipline
• 6+ years of experience in mechanical design for space applications, with direct ownership of hardware from design through test
• Hands-on CAD proficiency (NX or equivalent) with experience taking mechanical/electromechanical/fluids designs from concept through flight release
• Demonstrated experience owning a hardware subsystem end-to-end (design, build, integration, and test), not solely in an analysis or support capacity
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, fluid schematics, and electrical circuit diagrams
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills, and ability to communicate technical information to non-technical partners

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience working on lunar engineering programs.
• Experience designing or delivering deployable spacecraft structures (solar arrays, booms, masts, or similar mechanisms)
• Experience with battery system design, sizing, or qualification for space applications
• Familiarity with the lunar surface or deep-space thermal, radiation, and solar environment (or equivalent extreme-environment design experience)
• Experience leading hardware through formal verification campaigns (functional, environmental, vibration, thermal-vacuum)
• Prior experience in a fast-paced commercial space or startup hardware environment, comfortable with high ownership and limited process overhead

Additional Requirements

• Ability to travel up to 5% of the time to support vendors, partnership or customer meetings
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Pay Range: California

$137,000 — $230,000 USD

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.

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 either 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.