Staff Software Engineer, AI Tooling

jobs.frontdoordefense.com - Jobboard; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 159,900 - 267,720; Full time

Job summary

Vast is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, AI Tooling, based in Long Beach, California. In this full-time position, you will support the development of systems crucial for building artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.

You will design and develop custom front-end experiences and connect AI models with internal tools. The role demands strong full-stack development skills with Python and TypeScript, along with experience in AI concepts.

The annual compensation ranges from $188,600 to $267,720.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software development or relevant industry experience.
• Strong understanding of large language model architectures.
• Experience building or integrating MCP servers and gateways.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop frontend customizations for OpenWebUI and AI platforms.
• Build and maintain complex MCP gateways to connect AI models.
• Architect and implement full-stack features for AI use-cases.

Skills

Full-stack development with Python

TypeScript

AI/ML concepts

OpenWebUI

Svelte or SvelteKit

Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, math, or engineering

Job description

Staff Software Engineer, AI Tooling

Own the AI tooling platform stack across internal OpenWebUI and MCP gateway integration

Location: Long Beach, California, United States

Compensation: $159,900 - 267,720 USD / year

Job Tags: Software

About The Role

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 Staff Software Engineer, Ai Tooling reporting to the Senior Manager, Software Engineering to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.

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

Responsibilities:

• Design and develop frontend customizations for OpenWebUI and other internal AI platforms using Svelte and TypeScript
• Build and maintain complex MCP (Model Context Protocol) gateways to connect AI models with internal tools and data sources
• Develop custom pipelines for AI response enforcement, content safety, and output formatting
• Architect and implement full-stack features that serve diverse AI use-cases across the company
• Collaborate with IT Infrastructure to integrate AI tooling with existing systems and infrastructure
• Rapidly iterate on AI tooling as the technology landscape and company needs evolve
• Evaluate and adopt emerging AI frameworks, models, and patterns to improve internal tooling
• Contribute to the technical direction of Vast's AI platform strategy as the founding member of the AI engineering function

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, math, an engineering discipline, or equivalent work experience
• 5+ years of software development or relevant industry experience
• Strong full-stack development experience with Python and TypeScript
• Demonstrated understanding of AI/ML concepts, large language model architectures, and modern AI tooling patterns

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience with OpenWebUI or similar open-source AI interface platforms
• Experience with Svelte or SvelteKit
• Experience building or integrating MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers and gateways
• Experience with LLM API integration, prompt engineering, and AI pipeline development
• Experience with containerization and deployment (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Familiarity with RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) patterns and vector databases
• Experience working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with evolving requirements

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 50% of the time
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted
• Specific certifications, as appropriate

Pay Range:

• Senior Software Engineer, Ai Tooling: $159,900 - $226,980
• Staff Software Engineer, Ai Tooling: $188,600 - $267,720