Manufacturing Engineer, Life Support Systems (ECLSS)

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 Manufacturing Engineer, Life Support Systems (ECLSS), reporting to the Director, ECLSS, to support the development and production of the hardware and systems required for the design and build of inertial-gravity human-rated space stations. This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location. 

As a Life Support Systems Engineer at Vast, you will have the opportunity to utilize your knowledge, experience, and creativity to develop novel solutions at the cutting edge of space technology. Our team is developing the necessary hardware to maintain environmental and thermal control as well as support life onboard our artificial-gravity commercial space station. This is a challenging role, as it involves design, analysis, testing, and manufacturing of components that are absolutely critical to the safety of future astronauts and passengers.

Responsibilities: 

• Own the development and production of the environmental control and life support systems for Vast’s inertial-gravity space station, from initial design trades to fully functional and validated system
• Develop and iterate  prototype hardware, manufacturing processes, and qualification testing in a fast-paced, schedule-critical environment
• Own the product delivery timeline from initial design through production, launch, and orbital insertion
• Work directly with Responsible Engineering, Test Engineering, and Integration Engineering to develop and execute hardware assessment tests at appropriate manufacturing milestones
• Lead design reviews internally and externally with suppliers and customers
• Work with interdisciplinary stakeholders to ensure the component will integrate with the necessary avionics, software, and mission operations systems
• Enforce DFM checkpoints during design and development to ensure manufacturability and reliability
• Bring technical excellence to all aspects of Vast

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering or science discipline
• 3+ years of experience working with fluid or environmental control systems or components
• 1+ years of hands-on hardware experience performing fabrication, assembly and/or testing

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or physics
• Proactive problem-solving skills such as failure analysis, root cause investigation, and design of experiment creation
• Ability to perform trade studies using first principles and engineering fundamentals to make clear recommendations even with partial information
• Experience with rotating machinery (fans, pumps, etc)
• Experience with soft goods
• Experienced in NX
• Solid understanding and application of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and tolerance stack-up analysis
• Experience with structural analysis methods (hand calcs, FEMAP, ANSYS) in order to optimize hardware to strength requirements as well as to evaluate for life and fracture
• Knowledge of metallic and fluid system manufacturing techniques, processes, equipment, and other processes such as machining, welding, brazing, tube bending, etcetera
• Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment, including frequent interactions with technicians, other engineers, and managers
• Highly self-motivated with strong organizational and written/oral communication skills – able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment with the ongoing drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of work

Pay Range: 

• Manufacturing Engineer II: $100,000-$132,000
• Senior Manufacturing Engineer: $120,000-$164,000

Salary Range: California$100,000—$164,000 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