Senior Supplier Reliability Engineer

Vast • Long Beach, CA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Vast is seeking a Senior/Staff Supplier Reliability Engineer to support the development of systems for artificial-gravity, human-rated space stations. Reporting to the Senior Manager of Supplier Reliability, this full-time, exempt role is based in Long Beach, California. The engineer will help ensure the quality and reliability of products and components received from suppliers, working with suppliers and internal design, manufacturing, and procurement teams to assess manufacturing capability, resolve quality issues, manage risks, and improve performance. The role supports both new product introduction and production and may require evening or weekend work for critical mission milestones and travel up to 50% of the time.

The position requires a master's degree in an engineering discipline and at least five years of relevant production-environment experience. The successful candidate will bring practical experience in reliability, process, or quality engineering; root cause and corrective action; manufacturing and inspection processes; and applying specifications and drawing requirements. Preferred experience includes supplier quality systems and processes, failure analysis, statistical methods, structured problem solving, and relevant aerospace or manufacturing technologies.

The position offers a California base salary range of $123,000–$230,000, with level and compensation calibrated to the selected candidate's experience and capability. Full-time employees receive company equity and access to benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, parental leave, disability and life insurance, a 401(k) plan, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare, discounts, and food perks. The person hired must be a U.S. person under the stated export-control definition or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Materials, Manufacturing, Industrial, or Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• At least 5 years of reliability, process, or quality engineering experience in a production environment, including hands-on root cause and corrective action on product or process issues.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing and special processes, failure mechanisms, and inspection or nondestructive evaluation methods.
• Experience reading and applying industry specifications and drawing requirements.
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones.
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted.
• Ability to travel up to 50% 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

• A proven record of taking root cause and corrective actions to verified closure and influencing suppliers to achieve results.
• Hands-on failure analysis experience.
• Working knowledge of quality systems such as ISO 9000, AS9100, and NADCAP, and supplier quality processes such as PPAP, APQP, and FAI.
• Familiarity with aerospace specifications for special processes, inspection, and process control.
• Experience applying statistical methods such as MSA, DOE, hypothesis testing, and Cpk, and structured problem-solving methods such as 8D, fault tree, Ishikawa, and Six Sigma.
• Experience with additive manufacturing, welding, fracture mechanics, or damage tolerance.
• Experience with MES and PLM systems, Google Suite, SQL, and Python.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced environment and across many functions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical findings to all levels of Vast and the supply base.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and onboard new suppliers; conduct regular audits, assessments, and evaluations to confirm suppliers meet Vast's quality standards.
• Build and maintain supplier relationships, address quality issues, identify supply-chain risks, and implement improvements.
• Work with design and manufacturing engineers to understand the design intent of piece parts, assemblies, and subsystems.
• Conduct design-for-manufacturability reviews early in the process, ideally before sourcing.
• Work with procurement to source parts strategically by assessing supplier manufacturing processes, inspection practices, and quality systems.
• Drive continuous improvement with suppliers and internally by analyzing quality data, identifying trends, and implementing corrective and preventive actions to improve quality and reduce cost.
• Define supplier technical and quality requirements based on customer and program requirements for new product introduction and production.
• Analyze supplier quality and delivery metrics to identify trends and systemic performance gaps, and develop supplier improvement plans.
• Lead root cause and corrective action for escapes or nonconformances found in Vast manufacturing or the Vast supply chain.
• Demonstrate ownership, technical excellence, initiative, and attention to detail.

Benefits

• Company equity.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents.
• Paid time off, including vacation and the ability for exempt staff 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: Senior