Space Station Fluid Systems Design Lead

Telemetry Today LLC; Long Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 164,000 - 233,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Equity

Paid time off

Parental leave

Disability insurance

Life insurance

ClassPass

Spring Health

Onsite meals

Job summary

Vast is seeking a Senior Manager of Fluid Systems Design in Long Beach, CA to lead a team delivering propulsion, TCS and ECLSS integration for future Haven modules. The role requires governing component‑level design authority on flight hardware and guiding cross‑functional collaboration across structures, GNC, avionics, software, and manufacturing.

The position emphasizes building in‑house design capability, mentoring engineers, and driving design decisions to closure within a fast‑paced

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or other technical discipline.
• 2+ years hands‑on engineering experience followed by 2-5 years of experience in systems engineering, technical project management, or customer facing program roles in aerospace.
• 8+ years of experience in system design with demonstrated component‑level design authority on flight hardware, preferably propulsion, thermal or ECLSS.
• 2+ years of experience overseeing / managing a technical engineering team.
• Expertise in fluid system design including pressure vessels, tubing routings, mechanical fluid seals, control valves, fans, filters and/or ducting systems.
• Experience with high‑pressure fluid systems including fracture criticality.
• Familiarity with P&IDs, feed system ConOps, and fill and drain considerations for vehicle integration.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multi‑disciplinary engineering teams and drive technical decisions to closure.
• Experience supporting design reviews (CDR, PDR) and managing associated action items and risk tracking.
• Strong cross‑functional communication skills comfortable working across structures, GNC, avionics, software, and manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Lead design team translating architecture choices for propulsion, TCS and ECLSS systems into vehicle packaging for future Haven modules.
• Own component-level design practices for propulsion, TCS and ECLSS.
• Develop process tools to streamline design activities, enabling component responsible engineers to be force multipliers for the design team.
• Lead team of designers across the fluid systems engineering team, flexing resources as needed, and building cross-system experience in the team.
• Interface with structures design team on overall vehicle integration, establishing and enforcing standard design and modeling practices.
• Collaborate with the fluid system analysis team on structural, fracture, and dynamics requirements for design validation.
• Partner with the fluid system test team to design ground support equipment and test stands needed for development, qualification and acceptance testing.
• Build and mentor a team of design engineers, establishing clear ownership and accountability for world-class design work.
• Drive communication and collaboration between fluid systems design, structures, and operations, resolving manufacturing and integration challenges.
• Support risk management, CDR/dCDR action item tracking, and lessons-learned capture from prior missions.
• Partner with information systems team on design tool development and deployment.
• Manage technical interfaces with external partners and government agencies on propulsion system requirements and supplier qualification.
• Coordinate with external research partners on advanced system development and evaluations.

Skills

Fluid systems design

Team leadership

Cross-functional communication

Propulsion experience

Design reviews

Project management

External partner management

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Design tools

Job description

Vast is seeking a Senior Manager of Fluid Systems Design in Long Beach, CA to lead a team delivering propulsion, TCS and ECLSS integration for future Haven modules. The role requires governing component‑level design authority on flight hardware and guiding cross‑functional collaboration across structures, GNC, avionics, software, and manufacturing.

The position emphasizes building in‑house design capability, mentoring engineers, and driving design decisions to closure within a fast‑paced