Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Thermal Control Systems

Long Beach, California, United States

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure using an incremental, hardware-rich, and low-cost approach. Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station 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. 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 in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules. Additionally, the company recently announced Vast Satellite
, a high-power satellite product line leveraging its space station components and the heritage of Haven Demo.

Headquartered in Long Beach, California
, and with more than 1,000 employees and over a billion dollars in private capital, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats and systems for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy.

Vast is looking for a Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Thermal Control Systems (TCS), reporting to the Manager, Structures & Fluids Manufacturing
, to lead the team responsible for the development, production, and integration of thermal control hardware for artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.

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

• Lead the TCS manufacturing engineering team day to day: set priorities, assign ownership, run team rhythms, and mentor engineers
• Participate in hiring and onboarding new engineers to the team
• Own manufacturing development, production readiness, and build execution for TCS hardware, including pumps, fluid loops, cold plates, heaters, and tubing, while staying hands‑on with your own hardware
• Own the TCS manufacturing schedule and build sequencing across concurrent vehicle builds
• Report hardware status, risks, and mitigation plans to program leadership, including a regular company‑wide TCS hardware status update
• Partner with design engineering to drive design for manufacturing and assembly and production readiness from early design trades through flight hardware
• Drive development and qualification of special processes including welding, brazing, tube bending, cleaning, passivation, leak testing, and pressure testing
• Set standards for work instructions, inspection plans, and nonconformance disposition; drive root cause and corrective action to closure
• Work with technicians, quality, supply chain, test, integration, and M&P teams to ensure successful system integration
• Support supplier development and manufacturing readiness for externally produced components and assemblies

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or science discipline
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, production engineering, or hardware development for fluid, thermal, environmental control, or life support systems
• 3+ years of hands‑on hardware experience supporting fabrication, assembly, integration, and/or testing
• Experience developing manufacturing processes, work instructions, build plans, or production documentation for complex hardware
• Experience mentoring engineers or leading a workstream, build, or small team (formal people management experience not required)

• Master’s degree in an engineering discipline
• Experience as a technical lead,…