Director, Avionics Manufacturing

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 May 2026. 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 Director of Avionics Manufacturing, reporting to the Senior Vice President of Manufacturing, to support the development and manufacturing  of artificial-gravity, human-rated space stations. This position will lead a team that is responsible for building and testing avionics hardware and harnesses.  This is a high impact position and will require scaling up the team in rapid fashion to support the Haven program.    

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

Responsibilities: 

• Lead a team of manufacturing engineers, technicians, and managers in planning, building, and testing Haven-1 avionics.   
• Identify resource needs - equipment, headcount, and skills - required to deliver hardware to integration per the Haven program schedule. 
• Continuously improve manufacturing processes and workflows to enhance productivity, efficiency, and quality. Implement lean manufacturing principles and other industry best practices to streamline operations and reduce waste.
• Drive the creation and implementation of required process specifications and  manufacturing standards to manufacture avionics hardware for human spaceflight. 
• Develop and implement key performance indicators to track manufacturing performance. 
• Partner closely with Engineering and Demand Planning to plan and schedule development and flight hardware manufacturing.  
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineering, supply chain, quality and other manufacturing leaders, to ensure effective coordination and communication across departments. 
• Assess the skills and capabilities of the team and identify areas for development and training to enhance performance &  effectiveness. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace, or Manufacturing Engineering.
• 10+ years of experience in  aerospace or electronics manufacturing, with at least 5 years of leadership experience. 
• Familiarity with testing of avionics hardware such as thermal, vibration, and functional tests.
• Demonstrated success with managing electro-mechanical production or harness manufacturing through rapid growth and rate increases.  

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience with new production introduction and transitioning from development to production.
• Ability to set up production processes and systems to build aerospace products in an AS9100 quality system.  
• Working knowledge of avionics/s[ace standards such as IPC-A-610, IPC/WHMA-A-620,  NASA-STD-8739.4, or SMC-S-016
• Direct working knowledge of environmental testing, including thermal, thermal vacuum, vibration, and shock testing.
• Lean-sigma certification and implementation experience. 
• Familiarity with conformal coating, soldering, staking, and underfill processes. 

Additional Requirements:

• Willing to work extended hours, and/or weekends as needed
• Must be able to lift 25 lbs. Unassisted

Pay Range: 

• Director, Avionics Manufacturing: $175,000 - $260,000

Salary Range: California$175,000—$260,000 USDCOMPENSATION 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 m