Controls & Automation Engineer

Vast • Long Beach, CA

7d • $86,100 - $195,552 • Onsite

About The Position

Vast is hiring a Controls & Automation Engineer to develop systems for human-rated space stations and drive the development and execution of human-rated vehicle processes as Haven-1 transitions from design to a flight-ready station. The role develops and maintains data acquisition and controls capabilities for test teams at Vast’s Long Beach site and designs, implements, and owns complex control systems used to test space-rated hardware. The engineer is responsible for both hardware and software components and collaborates across software, thermal, manufacturing, propulsion, ECLSS, and mechanical test teams to improve testing practices and expand test-system capabilities.

This is a full-time, exempt position based in Long Beach, California. Applicants across a range of experience levels are welcome. Vast calibrates level and compensation to the selected candidate’s experience and demonstrated capability. The listed annual pay ranges are $86,100–$122,220 for Engineer/Level I, $112,340–$159,468 for Engineer/Level II, and $137,760–$195,552 for Senior Engineer/Level III. The posting also describes qualifications for Manufacturing Engineer II and Senior Manufacturing Engineer, including experience ranges of 2–4+ years and 4–6+ years, respectively.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in mechanical, aerospace, manufacturing, or electrical engineering; physics; mathematics; or a related technical field.
• Manufacturing experience, including internships, managing a product or product line across multiple work centers and/or departments, or experience with fluid, pressurized, propulsion, or environmental control hardware in design, manufacturing, or test.
• Hands-on fabrication, assembly, and/or integration experience.
• CAD proficiency; NX is preferred.
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones.
• For the Manufacturing Engineer II experience level: 2–4+ years of experience.
• For the Senior Manufacturing Engineer experience level: 4–6+ years of experience.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on hardware building or testing experience in industry or through student teams such as Formula SAE, rocketry, CubeSat, or robotics.
• Experience with aerospace, spacecraft, propulsion, or other safety-critical or high-reliability hardware.
• Experience taking designs or processes from concept through build or test, and from R&D to production.
• Familiarity with CAD tools, ideally Siemens NX, and PLM tools such as Teamcenter.
• Exposure to thermal or structural analysis using Ansys or similar tools.
• Awareness of aerospace workmanship, design, and environmental test standards such as IPC, SMC-S-016, NASA-STD-5001, or MIL-STD-810.
• Proficiency applying GD&T.
• Strong problem-solving skills, including troubleshooting and structured root cause analysis.
• Strong attention to detail, clear communication, and ability to work well in cross-functional teams.
• For senior-level candidates: experience mentoring engineers or technicians and managing multiple projects at once.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a data acquisition and controls stack supporting partnering test teams at the Long Beach site.
• Create software tools and establish standards for test assets and practices.
• Design, implement, and own complex control systems for testing space-rated hardware, covering both hardware and software components.
• Collaborate with software, thermal, manufacturing, propulsion, ECLSS, and mechanical test teams to improve testing practices, gather upgrade requests, and define new test-stack capabilities.
• Troubleshoot and debug test assets to resolve issues quickly and maintain optimal test-system performance.

Benefits

• Company equity for full-time employees.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents.
• Paid time off, including up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days 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.
• Discounts and other perks.
• Free snacks, drip coffee, cold drinks, and dinner meals; subsidized lunch.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level