Supervisor, Avionics Manufacturing - Harnessing

vast; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Vast in Long Beach, CA, is seeking a Supervisor of Avionics Manufacturing for the second shift to lead wire harness fabrication and assembly operations. You will mentor a team, ensure IPC/WHMA-A-620 compliance, and drive continuous improvements while maintaining safety and quality on the production floor.

This full-time role requires strong leadership, experience in aerospace cabling, and the ability to read drawings and specifications.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience in a technical field, preferably wire harness or aerospace cable assembly.
• 3+ years in a supervisory role leading production teams.
• High School Diploma or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Organize and coordinate second shift harness fabrication and assembly work.
• Lead, mentor, and promote safety, quality, and productivity on the production floor.
• Train new technicians in harness assembly, IPC/WHMA-A-620 requirements and certifications.
• Support daily tasks: crimping, soldering, connector assembly, routing.
• Drive process improvements to reduce defects and improve throughput.
• Review designs for manufacturability and reliability of harness assemblies.
• Collaborate with QA to enforce IPC/WHMA-A-620 standards and inspections.
• Maintain organized workspace, tools, and inventory.
• Read technical drawings and harness schematics to support inspection.

Skills

Leadership

Wire harness

Manufacturing leadership

Education

High School Diploma or equivalency

Tools

IPC/WHMA-A-620 knowledge

CAD tools experience (Siemens Capital)

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.

Supervisor of Avionics Manufacturing - Harnessing

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

Shift hours

Second shift: 2:00PM - 10:30PM

Responsibilities

• Organize, coordinate, prioritize, and communicate day-to-day wire harness fabrication and assembly work assignments for the second shift technician team, ensuring seamless continuity from first shift operations.
• Lead, mentor, and model a strong work ethic, safety culture, and quality-first mindset on the production floor.
• Train and onboard new team members in harness assembly techniques, workmanship standards, and IPC/WHMA-A-620 requirements, ensuring all personnel meet certification expectations.
• Support technicians in daily tasks including crimping, soldering, connector assembly, bundling, lacing, and harness routing in accordance with IPC/WHMA-A-620 acceptance criteria.
• Assist with optimizing the wire harness manufacturing process, considering factors such as cycle time, yield, quality, and cost-effectiveness while maintaining compliance with IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 2 and Class 3 standards.
• Participate in design reviews, providing practical insight to improve the manufacturability, routability, and reliability of wire harness assemblies.
• Collaborate with quality assurance teams to establish, maintain, and enforce rigorous quality control processes aligned with IPC/WHMA-A-620 workmanship standards, including in-process inspections and final acceptance testing.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives by identifying opportunities to reduce defects, minimize rework, eliminate waste, and improve overall harness assembly quality and throughput.
• Meet demanding second shift production schedules to achieve high output rates while maintaining IPC/WHMA-A-620 compliance and adapting to shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and well-stocked production area, including tool control, consumable inventory (heat shrink, terminals, connectors, lacing tape, etc.), and support of build infrastructure.
• Read and interpret technical drawings, wire lists, harness schematics, and work instructions to support assembly and inspection activities.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience in a technical field, with a strong preference for candidates with a background in wire harness or aerospace cable assembly manufacturing.
• 3+ years of experience in a leadership or supervisory role, with demonstrated ability to guide, motivate, and manage production teams.
• High School Diploma or equivalency certificate.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• In-depth understanding of wire harness fabrication processes including crimping, soldering, over-molding, potting, connector insertion/extraction, and continuity/hipot testing.
• Working knowledge of and experience operating within a formal quality management system such as AS9100, ISO 9001, or equivalent.
• IPC/WHMA-A-620 CIS or CIT certification, with the ability to train and evaluate technicians to IPC workmanship standards.
• Experience with IPC-A-600, IPC J-STD-001, or other relevant IPC standards as they relate to harness and cable assembly manufacturing.
• Familiarity with military and aerospace harness standards such as MIL-DTL-22759, MIL-SPEC wire, AS22759, and NASM hardware specifications.
• Experience creating and maintaining manufacturing documentation such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Work Instructions, and Inspection Criteria aligned with IPC/WHMA-A-620.
• Experience with CAD or harness design tools (such as Siemens Capital or similar) for reviewing harness drawings and wire lists.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to perform structured root cause analysis (RCA) and implement corrective actions for workmanship defects.

Knowledge of