Mission Integration Engineer
About The Position
Vast is developing next-generation space stations and infrastructure through an incremental, hardware-rich, low-cost approach. The Mission Integration Engineer supports development of systems needed to design and build human-rated space stations. As the primary technical interface between customers and internal engineering teams, this role is responsible for end-to-end integration of customer payloads onto spacecraft, from mission kickoff through launch and on-orbit commissioning. The engineer translates customer requirements into actionable engineering plans and ensures mechanical, electrical, thermal, software, and operational interfaces are defined, verified, and closed on schedule. This is a full-time, exempt position based in Vast’s Long Beach location. The role requires travel up to 50% and may require overtime or weekend work to support critical mission milestones.
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or another engineering discipline.
- Ability to travel up to 50% of the time.
- Willingness to work overtime or weekends to support critical mission milestones.
- Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted.
- Specific certifications, as appropriate.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with facilities within an aerospace industry.
- Familiarity with space planning procedures and operations.
- Knowledge of computer applications and ability to navigate different software programs.
- Ability to create and update requests for proposals (RFPs), purchase orders (POs), and facilities work orders in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
- Ability to make independent judgments with limited information.
- Communication skills for relaying data verbally and in writing between employees, vendors, and customers.
- Logical and strategic approach to solving problems.
- Ability to read and understand basic floor plans.
- Comfort working in a high-stress environment while balancing several projects and adjusting to abrupt changes in strategic direction.
Responsibilities
- Serve as the customer's primary technical point of contact throughout the mission lifecycle, leading technical interchange meetings, working groups, and formal reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, MRR).
- Develop and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and requirements documents; manage requirement decomposition, allocation, and verification closure.
- Coordinate cross-functional engineering teams, including structures, power, avionics, thermal, software, GNC, and operations, to resolve integration issues and drive trades to closure.
- Own the mission integration schedule, tracking deliverables, milestones, and critical path items on both customer and internal sides.
- Plan and oversee payload integration and test campaigns, including fit checks, functional testing, and environmental test support.
- Manage technical risk by identifying, documenting, and driving disposition of integration risks, non-conformances, and waivers.
- Support launch vehicle integration activities and interface coordination, including ICD compliance, coupled loads analysis inputs, and range documentation.
- Ensure compliance with export control (ITAR/EAR) requirements in all customer data exchanges.
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.
- Other discounts and perks.
- Free snacks, drip coffee, cold drinks, and dinner meals; subsidized lunch.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
