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 Manager, Avionics Manufacturing Engineering, reporting to the Senior Manager, Avionics Manufacturing, 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:
- Lead and manage the avionics electro-mechanical and PCBA manufacturing engineering function, providing both technical and people leadership to support the design, build, integration, and test of human-rated avionics systems and hardware.
- Collaborate closely with design engineering teams to provide early and continuous input on manufacturability, assembly, and testability (DFM/DFA/DFT), ensuring PCBAs and electro-mechanical designs are optimized for quality, reliability, schedule, and scalability.
- Own the development, standardization, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes, tooling, factory equipment, and build strategies for avionics electronics and electro-mechanical assemblies.
- Establish, maintain, and approve manufacturing plans, assembly procedures, work instructions, and process documentation to ensure consistent, compliant, and repeatable production of PCBAs and integrated avionics hardware.
- Build, mentor, and manage a team of avionics manufacturing engineers, setting clear priorities, providing technical guidance, performance feedback, and supporting career development.
- Drive robust electronics manufacturing practices including:
- Identify, assess, and resolve manufacturing risks and issues through structured root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions, and cross-functional problem solving.
- Serve as the manufacturing engineering representative in design reviews, production readiness reviews, and test readiness reviews, advocating for manufacturing requirements, constraints, and readiness.
- Partner with supply chain and suppliers to review and approve supplier manufacturing processes for PCB fabrication, PCBA assembly, and electro-mechanical hardware, ensuring quality standards are met and delivery schedules are achieved.
- Work closely with Quality, Production, Test, and Program teams to define quality controls, inspection plans, acceptance criteria, and escalation paths for electronics and electro-mechanical builds.
- Provide hands-on technical support as needed during assembly, integration, test, and troubleshooting activities on the production floor and in test labs.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives using lean manufacturing principles, waste reduction techniques, and process maturity improvements across electronics and electro-mechanical production.
- Track, communicate, and report manufacturing engineering performance metrics related to quality, schedule, cost, and execution risk.
- Stay current with industry standards, emerging technologies, and best practices in aerospace electronics manufacturing, incorporating lessons learned into company processes.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.
- 5+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, with experience in aerospace, avionics, or other highly regulated industries.
- 2+ years of experience leading or mentoring engineers, project teams, or technical functions.
Additional Requirements:
- Ability to travel up to 50% of the time.
- Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones.
- Ability to lift up to 25lbs unassisted.
- Specific certifications, as appropriate.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Base salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: 100% 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.
