Senior Thermal Fluids Reliability Engineer

Vast

Long Beach (CA)

On-site

USD 162,360 - 265,392

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Vast, based in Long Beach, is developing Haven‑1 to enable a permanent human presence in space. We seek a Thermal Fluids Design Reliability Engineer to lead the thermal, environmental control, and life support design for Haven‑1, reporting to the Sr. Manager of Design Reliability.

This full‑time role in Long Beach requires hands-on design ownership and rigorous verification. The candidate brings 6+ years in reliability, systems integration, and design ownership in aerospace, with strong

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or related Engineering discipline.
6+ years of related professional work experience in responsible engineering, design ownership, systems integration, test engineering, or reliability-focused development.
Experience in Responsible Engineering, Systems Engineering, Office of the Chief Engineer, or Reliability Engineering roles on complex aerospace systems.
Hands-on experience designing, assembling, integrating, or testing hardware.
Background with spacecraft, aircraft, launch vehicles, or other mission- or safety-critical systems.
Familiarity with fracture control, reliability methodologies, or human-rated hardware standards.
Experience creating engineering standards, review templates, or technical guidance frameworks.
Strong scripting and data analysis skills (Python, MATLAB, Excel) and familiarity with visualization tools (Tableau).
Knowledge of manufacturing processes, materials selection, and hardware qualification pathways.
Strong systems-level intuition and the ability to anticipate and articulate risks early.

Responsibilities

Guide design of thermal, environmental control, and life support systems on a large-scale space station.
Lead technical reviews providing clear guidance of mechanical design and analysis across milestones.
Own and refine design review templates, reliability checklists, and internal design guides.
Build tools, frameworks, and automation to enable rapid design trade-offs and risk assessment.
Coordinate with Change Management, Risk, and Engineering to drive continuous improvement of the vehicle.
Partner with the internal software team to ensure data and configuration are well organized.