Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Soft Goods

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 Manufacturing Engineer , reporting to the Manager Manufacturing Engineer, Soft Goods 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:

Own the development and implementation of new product manufacturing processes for various soft-goods (Cargo bags, closeouts, protective blankets, etc.)

Work closely with our Product Design and Supply Chain teams to ensure the highest level of quality of Vast's Soft-Goods products

Responsible for meeting production targets (rate, delivery date, ect.)

Work with interdisciplinary stakeholders such as human systems, industrial design, internal medicine to ensure all materials and processes can support a safe crewed mission

Lead manufacturing reviews internally and externally with suppliers and customers

Make sure that all designs and systems are manufacturable and reliable

Coordinate with QA to Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and issue resolution on soft-good manufacturing quality issues

Create and manage all operating procedures and control plans for the soft-goods manufacturing team

Provide process design improvement ideas and collaborate with engineering resources to implement while ensuring solutions achieve required quality levels, reliability, and consistency

Create/modify layouts, drawings, and designs supporting manufacturing operations

Incorporate engineering specifications into process and manufacturing techniques

Preferred Skills Experience:

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

Strong organizational skills, as well as verbal and written communication

Strong project management, organizational, and communication skills

Ability to plan and execute R D projects

Apply subject matter expertise to cutting edge technical needs, iterate efficiently, and clearly articulate issues

Experience with interpreting engineering drawings and models; GD T, etc

Knowledge of lean and/or Six Sigma concepts

Experience with best-in-class soft goods manufacturing techniques

Proficiency and experience in using NX, TeamCenter

Prior experience in a fast-paced manufacturing setting

Willingness and desire to exemplify extreme ownership of flight critical spacecraft systems

Proactive problem-solving skills such as failure analysis, root cause investigation, and DOE creation

Experience working with design, analysis and build of soft-good components

Strong ability to use data and analysis to make fast data driven decisions

Additional Requirements:

Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted

Pay Range: California

$162,360 $230,472 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: 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…