Senior Program Operations Engineer

Vast•Long Beach, CA

17h•$133,446 - $189,429•Onsite

About The Position

Vast is seeking a Senior Program Operations Engineer to lead operations, long-range strategic planning, and initiatives on behalf of the program team. Reporting to the Director, Technical Projects, this role works closely with cross-functional teams to define program requirements that align program goals with company operating plans and partners with adjacent development programs to ensure plans are executable and attainable. The primary responsibility is to support successful business scaling and program outcomes. This is a full-time, exempt position located in Long Beach, California, with travel of up to 20% of the time. Vast develops space stations and space infrastructure, including the Haven Station program. The company is headquartered in Long Beach, California, and has more than 1,000 employees. The selected candidate will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls and must be a U.S. person as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing. The salary range for California is $133,446–$189,429 USD. Level and compensation are calibrated to the selected candidate’s experience and demonstrated capability. Full-time employees receive company equity and benefits that include medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents; paid time off; paid parental leave; short- and long-term disability insurance; life insurance; access to a 401(k) plan; ClassPass credits; personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health; discounts and other perks; and food amenities including free snacks, coffee, cold drinks, and dinner, with subsidized lunch.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field.
At least 5 years of successful contributions in engineering, program operations, program or project management, or corporate and business strategy.
Demonstrated successful contributions to end-to-end product lifecycle management.
Experience with project management and reporting tools such as MS Project, SmartSheet, JIRA, or Confluence.
Demonstrated NPI expertise and understanding of product lifecycle management from cradle to grave.
Ability to travel up to 20% of the time.
Must be a U.S. person as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in engineering or a related field.
MBA focused on operations or strategy.
Examples of scaling successful programs or products to market as a technical contributor or lead.
Experience in engineering, manufacturing operations, operations management, and business strategy.
Familiarity with lean and Six Sigma methodologies and business finance principles.
Experience transitioning products from low- to high-volume production.
Delivery experience with aerospace, defense, or flight hardware.
Ability to think strategically and execute cross-disciplinary tactical plans.

Responsibilities

Create and own the program manifest for Haven Station programs and associated long-range and strategic planning.
Define and own program operational requirements that drive company operational targets, including headcount projections, capital expenditure projections, and engineering development assets.
Work with stakeholders in Finance, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, Facilities, People Teams, and other areas to achieve operational targets.
Lead initiatives and projects to achieve program and operational targets.
Prepare and generate analytics and dashboards, and report progress regularly, monthly and/or quarterly.
Apply a first-principles approach to problem solving, conflict resolution, and decision making.
Demonstrate and lead with urgency across initiatives.

Benefits

Company equity.
Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents.
Paid time off, including up to 20+ vacation days for 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; lunch is subsidized.