Manufacturing Engineer, Soft Goods Long , California,

Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Soft Goods

Long Beach, California, United States

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.

• 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, etc.)
• 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

• 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, Team Center
• 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

• 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