At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. We are building artificial gravity space stations, allowing long-term stays in space without the adverse effects of zero-gravity. Our initial crewed space habitat will be Haven-1, scheduled to be the world’s first commercial space station when it launches into low-Earth orbit in 2026. It is part of our stepping stone approach to continuous human presence in LEO. 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, Harness 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 harness manufacturing engineering function, providing both technical leadership and people leadership to support the design, build, integration, and test of human-rated avionics systems and wire harnesses.
Collaborate closely with design engineering teams to provide early and continuous input on manufacturability, assembly, and testability (DFM/DFA), ensuring designs are optimized for quality, schedule, and scalability.
Own the development, standardization, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes, tooling, onboard equipment, and build strategies for avionics systems.
Establish, maintain, and approve manufacturing plans, assembly procedures, work instructions, and process documentation to ensure consistent, compliant, and repeatable production.
Build, mentor, and manage a team of avionics manufacturing engineers, setting clear priorities, providing technical guidance, performance feedback, and supporting career development.
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, readiness reviews, and production reviews, advocating for manufacturing requirements, constraints, and readiness.
Partner with supply chain and suppliers to review and approve supplier manufacturing processes, ensure quality standards are met, and support timely delivery of avionics hardware.
Work closely with Quality, Production, Test, and Program teams to define quality controls, inspection plans, acceptance criteria, and escalation paths.
Provide hands-on technical support as needed during assembly, integration, test, and troubleshooting activities on the production floor.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives using lean manufacturing principles, waste reduction techniques, and process maturity improvements.
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 avionics and aerospace manufacturing, incorporating lessons learned into Vast 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.

Pay Range: California

$125,000—$170,000 USD

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, flexible paid time off for exempt staff and up to 10 days of vacation for non-exempt staff, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, One Medical membership, 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, 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.

Manager, Harness Manufacturing Engineering

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