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, iOS, reporting to the Senior Director, Ground Segment & Mission Operations, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. As an iOS software engineer you will be the responsible engineer for the design, build, and testing of iOS native applications written in Swift to power crew user interfaces operating in Low Earth Orbit aboard Haven-1. You will shepherd the project through the full Software Development Lifecycle as the original author of the app. In your day-to-day you will collaborate with the UX design, flight software, and avionics teams to ensure the app functions reliably and meets the required objectives. Join us for the unique opportunity to write apps that fly in space.

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

Responsibilities:

Develop new and optimize existing software codebases and systems which will be used to power crew devices on the Vast family of spacecraft.
Mentor junior software engineers to help build a strong and capable team.
Own the lifecycle of software, including rolling out to operations, managing configurations, maintaining and upgrading, and supporting end-users.
Configure and optimize automated testing and deployment systems.
Ensure software quality and reliability through testing, clean-code, and attention to software security.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Informatics, Human-Centered Design & Engineering or other engineering discipline.
7+ years experience writing software.
4+ years experience writing iOS applications (Objective-C/C++ & Swift).

Preferred Skills & Experience:

Experience writing applications shipped and used by millions of users.
Proficiency using the command line, writing shell scripts, and an understanding of the GNU/Linux operating system.
Experience coding in C and C++ and integrating that code into iOS applications.
Experience building applications in the cloud.
Enjoys end-user facing roles and interfacing with cross-functional teams.
Ability to work quickly and accurately in fast-paced environment during critical launch and mission operations.
Excellent communicator, both written and verbal.
Familiarity with Git.
Collaborative mindset.
Problem solver with a bias for action.

Additional Requirements:

Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones.

Pay Range: California

$155,000—$235,000 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, 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.

Staff Software Engineer, iOS, Haven

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