Tooling Engineer I

Vast; City of Long Beach (NY); On-site; USD 86,000 - 122,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

Paid time off

401(k) retirement plan

ClassPass credits / wellness

Free meals and snacks

Onsite coffee bar

Job summary

Vast in Long Beach is seeking a Tooling Engineer to design and develop fixtures for Haven-1 assembly. You will work with integration and manufacturing to define tooling interfaces and support production.

Ideal candidates have a BS in mechanical engineering, GD&T, NX, and FEA experience, and thrive in a fast-paced setting. Willingness to lift up to 25 lbs and occasional evening work is expected.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering or related field required.
• Experience with GD&T and geometrical tolerances.
• 1+ years in aerospace/mechanical design and tooling.
• 1+ years using NX or similar 3D CAD.
• Hands-on experience with mechanical assemblies and fixtures.
• Experience running FEA on structural components.
• Knowledge of project planning and scheduling.
• Excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Own design, activation, and support of fixtures and tooling for Haven-1 assembly.
• Define vehicle integration flow, processes, and tooling interfaces with teams.
• Specify fixtures, qualification plans, and introduce to production.
• Perform mechanical analysis for spacecraft fixtures.
• Develop operation and maintenance plans for test fixtures and tooling.
• Assist facilities managers on project implementation as needed.
• Manage project schedules, milestones, and deliverables.
• Manage vendor relationships and explore new technologies.
• Propose tool improvements to save time or improve tolerances.
• Coordinate tooling modifications for part or production changes.
• Collaborate with engineering to solve production issues.

Skills

Aerospace tooling design

NX or other 3D CAD

GD&T

FEA modelling

Project planning

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX CAD

FEA Software

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.

Vast is looking for a Tooling Engineer, reporting to the Senior Manager of Tooling, 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

• Own the design, activation, and implementation, and support fabrication, of fixtures and tooling required for Haven-1 assembly, lifting, and handling.
• Work with Integration and Manufacturing to define vehicle integration flow, manufacturing process, concepts and tooling interfaces.
• Collaborate with vehicle engineering and production to define fixture and tooling specifications, qualification plans, and introduce to production.
• Perform mechanical analysis for spacecraft fixtures.
• Develop operation and maintenance plans for all test fixtures and tooling. Assist the facilities manager(s) in all aspects of project implementation as needed
• Manage schedule on assigned projects including critical next steps, deadlines, and outcome.
• Manage vendor relationships and coordinate meetings to identify new technologies and how they can be applied to Vast’s cutting edge applications.
• Develop, test, and implement tool improvements to yield time savings or tolerance improvements.
• Coordinate tooling modifications related to part, production, or other changes.
• Work closely with engineering stakeholders and technicians to solve production-related issues.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, or other engineering discipline
• Experience with GD&T
• 1+ years of experience in aerospace/mechanical/automotive design and/or tooling. (University capstone/competitive projects and prior internship experience may apply)
• 1+ years of experience in NX or other 3D CAD packages
• Hands-on experience with handling, lifting, or building engineered assemblies
• Experience making and running FEA models on structural components
• Knowledge of project planning and execution practices, including logic-linked schedule management
• Strong communication skills.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience with work orders and assembly instructions.
• Design of pneumatic, electrical, or hydraulic motion systems.
• Critical lifting and break overs fixtures.
• Integration tooling design
• A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and hands-on design and development.

Additional Requirements

• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted

Pay Range: California

$86,000 — $122,000 USD

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• 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.