Senior Mechanical Engineer, Thermal Control Systems

Vast • Long Beach, CA

15d • Onsite

About The Position

At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. We are building artificial gravity space stations, allowing long-term stays in space without the adverse effects of zero-gravity. Our initial crewed space habitat will be Haven-1, scheduled to be the world’s first commercial space station when it launches into low-Earth orbit in 2026. It is part of our stepping stone approach to continuous human presence in LEO. 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 Senior Mechanical Engineer, Thermal Control System reporting to the Senior Manager, Thermal Control Systems Hardware 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, CA location.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or other engineering discipline.
• Experience working with fluid systems.
• 5+ years of hands-on hardware experience performing fabrication, assembly and/or testing.

Nice To Haves

• 4+ years of experience working with fluid systems or components.
• Demonstrated ability to own hardware or systems within an integrated engineering team outside a classroom setting.
• 4+ years of hands-on hardware experience performing fabrication, assembly and/or testing.
• Proactive problem-solving skills such as failure analysis, root cause investigation, and design of experiment creation.
• Ability to perform trade studies using first principles and engineering fundamentals to make clear recommendations even with partial information.
• Experience with rotating machinery.
• Experienced in NX.
• Solid understanding and application of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and tolerance stack-up analysis.
• Experience with structural analysis methods (hand calcs, FEMAP, ANSYS) in order to optimize hardware to strength requirements as well as to evaluate for life and fracture.
• Knowledge of metallic and fluid system manufacturing techniques, processes, equipment, and other processes such as machining, welding, brazing, tube bending, etc.
• 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.
• Ability to travel up to 5% of the time.
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones.
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted.

Responsibilities

• Own the design, development and operation of thermal control systems (i.e. tubes, trays, etc.) for our artificial-gravity space station, from initial design trades to fully functional and validated system.
• Iterate on manufacturing processes and development testing in a fast-paced environment.
• Own the project delivery timeline from early design through production, launch, and orbit insertion.
• Perform systems engineering tasks and fluid analyses.
• Lead design reviews internally and externally with suppliers and customers.
• Work with interdisciplinary stakeholders to ensure the component will integrate with the necessary avionics, software, and mission operations systems.
• Make sure that all designs are manufacturable and reliable.
• Bring technical excellence to everything you do.

Benefits

• 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, flexible paid time off for exempt staff and up to 10 days of vacation for non-exempt staff, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, One Medical membership, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks.
• We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees