Senior Program Operations Engineer

Vast; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 133,000 - 189,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision coverage

Equity

Flexible PTO (20+ days)

401(k) retirement plan

ClassPass credits

Spring Health

Free meals and snacks onsite

Lunch subsidy

Job summary

Vast, based in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Senior Program Operations Engineer to lead Haven Station programs and long-range planning. You will align requirements with company goals, partner with Finance, Manufacturing, and Facilities, and drive scalable program success in a fast-evolving space industry.

The role is full-time, exempt, in Long Beach, with travel up to 20%. Base salary ranges from $133,446 to $189,429 USD, reflecting experience and market demand.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of demonstrated contributions in engineering, program operations, program or project management, or corporate and business strategy.
• Demonstrated end-to-end product lifecycle management.
• Experience with project management and reporting tools (MS Project, SmartSheet, JIRA, Confluence).
• Demonstrated NPI expertise and understanding of product lifecycle management (cradle-to-grave).

Responsibilities

• Create and own the program manifest for Haven Station programs and all associated long range and strategic planning.
• Define and own the program operational requirements that drive company operational targets (headcount projections, CapEx projections, engineering development assets, etc.).
• Work closely with stakeholders (Finance, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, Facilities, People Teams, etc.) to achieve operational targets.
• Lead initiatives and projects to achieve program and operational targets. Prepare and generate analytics and dashboards; report progress regularly.
• Apply first principles approach to problem solving, conflict resolution, and decision making.
• Demonstrate and lead with urgency across all initiatives.

Skills

NPI expertise

Product lifecycle management

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field

Master’s degree in engineering or related field

Tools

MS Project

SmartSheet

JIRA

Confluence

Job description

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure using an incremental, hardware-rich, and low-cost approach. Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station 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. 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 in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules. Additionally, the company recently announced Vast Satellite, a high-power satellite product line leveraging its space station components and the heritage of Haven Demo.

Headquartered in Long Beach, California, and with more than 1,000 employees and over a billion dollars in private capital, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats and systems for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy.

Vast is seeking a Senior Program Operations Engineer reporting to Director, Technical Projects, to lead operations and long range strategic planning and initiatives on behalf of the program team. You will work closely with cross-functional teams and define program requirements to align program goals and objectives to company operating plans. You will need to partner with adjacent development programs across the business to ensure plans are executable and attainable. Your primary responsibility is to ensure successful scaling of the business to ensure program success.

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

Responsibilities:

• Create and own the program manifest for Haven Station programs and all associated long range and strategic planning
• Define and own the program operational requirements that drive company operational targets (headcount projections, CapEx projections, engineering development assets, etc.)
• Work closely with stakeholders (Finance, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, Facilities, People Teams, etc.) to achieve operational targets
• Lead initiatives and projects to achieve program and operational targets. Prepare and generate the necessary analytics and dashboards; report progress on a regular basis (monthly and/or quarterly)
• Apply first principles approach to problem solving, conflict resolution, and decision making
• Demonstrate and lead with urgency across all initiatives

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of demonstrated successful contributions in engineering, program operations, program or project management, or corporate and business strategy
• Demonstrated successful contributions to end-to-end product lifecycle management
• Experience with project management and reporting tools (i.e., MS Project, SmartSheet, JIRA, Confluence)
• Demonstrated NPI expertise and understanding of product lifecycle management (from cradle-to-grave)

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Master’s degree in engineering or related field. MBA with a focus on operations or strategy is a plus
• Demonstrated examples in scaling a successful program or products to market as a technical contributor or lead
• Demonstrated experience in fields of engineering, manufacturing operations, operations management, and business strategy
• Familiarity with lean and six-sigma methodologies and business finance principles
• Experience in transitioning products from low to high volume production. Delivery of aerospace, defense, or flight hardware is preferred but not required
• Ability to think strategically and execute cross-disciplinary tactical plans

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time

Pay Range: California

$133,446 - $189,429 USD

We calibrate level and compensation to the selected candidate's experience and demonstrated capability. We welcome applicants across a range of experience levels to apply.

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.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Vast’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.