Senior Mission Manager

Vast; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 151,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% medical, dental, and vision coverage

Up to 20+ days of vacation

Paid parental leave

Access to 401(k) retirement plan

Exceptional food perks including free meals

Job summary

A pioneering aerospace company seeks a Senior Mission Manager to oversee complex crewed missions. The role involves being the primary customer liaison and ensuring mission success. Candidates must possess a relevant Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of experience in systems engineering or related fields. This full-time position is located in Long Beach and offers a salary range of $151,000—$215,000 USD with comprehensive benefits, including medical coverage and generous paid time off.

Qualifications

• Over 8 years of experience in relevant fields.
• Direct experience with human spaceflight missions preferred.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for end-to-end mission success.
• Serve as primary point of contact for customers.
• Lead integration of all necessary tasks for mission execution.

Skills

Systems engineering

Technical program management

Customer-facing mission execution

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or technical discipline

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 Mission Manager, reporting to the Vice President of Mission Management, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial‑gravity human‑rated space stations.

The Senior Mission Manager is fully responsible for end‑to‑end mission success for highly complex, crewed missions.

This role serves as the primary customer interface and internal mission lead from contract award through on‑orbit execution and mission closeout.

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

Responsibilities

• Personally responsible for end‑to‑end mission success (contract award through on‑orbit operations and return where applicable)
• Serve as primary point of contact for customers
• Own and negotiate ICDs defining all interface requirements between:
  • Customer hardware and Haven space stations
  • Crew transport vehicles
  • Launch providers and ground systems
• Lead integration of:
  • All tasks necessary to successfully execute a mission including contract deliverables to/from customers, tracking hardware/software readiness, ground and crew operator readiness, and overall execution of Vast Flight Readiness
  • Pressurized payloads and cargo lifecycle
• Drive risk management, issue resolution, and cross‑functional execution
• Lead integrated master schedule development tied to contractual milestones
• Coordinate with mission operations, engineering, production, and leadership teams
• Support Business Development with pre‑sales engineering, customer meetings, and contract negotiations
• Trusted to represent Vast to key external stakeholders and customers

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or technical discipline
• 8+ years of experience in systems engineering, technical program management, or customer‑facing mission execution roles

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Direct experience with human spaceflight missions (ISS, free flyer, or commercial crew)
• Familiarity with NASA human spaceflight policies and procedures
• Working knowledge of crew vehicle systems
• Experience leading launch integration campaigns
• ICD negotiation with external stakeholders

Additional Requirements

• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time
• Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Pay Range: California

$151,000—$215,000 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: 100% 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.