Sensor Development Engineer I

Vast • Long Beach, CA

6d • $86,000 - $122,000 • Onsite

About The Position

At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next-generation space stations to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Using an incremental, hardware-rich and low-cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. 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 Sensor Development Engineer I , reporting to the Senior Manager, Sensor Development, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. As part of the Sensor Development Team, you will be a cross-disciplinary engineer collaborating with Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), Avionics, and Flight Software, to design and execute next-generation sensors for low-earth orbit. You will create and validate test stands for atmospheric sensing, contribute to sensor system architecture for the Haven program, and provide support for flight software firmware and mission CONOPs. This will be a full-time , exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Chemical Engineering, or in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, or related subfields
• Project or coursework experience designing, building, and testing sensors

Nice To Haves

• 1+ years experience designing, building, and testing sensors
• Hands-on experience with optics, lasers, piezoelectric materials, and electrochemical cells
• Hands-on experience with scientific instrumentation, including lock-in amplifiers, waveform generators, oscilloscopes, power supplies, and spectrum analyzers
• Hands-on experience with spectroscopic instrumentation, including UV-VIS spectrometers, Mass Spectrometers, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance instruments, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) or Raman Spectrometers
• Experience using standard data acquisition platforms, such as LabView, Simulink, and Beckhoff
• Comfortable using Python for data analysis
• Comfortable using CAD for 3D printing
• Comfortable working in a high-stress environment balancing several projects at any given time, and the flexibility to adjust for abrupt changes in strategic direction
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
• Ability to lift up to 25lbs unassisted

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and validate test stands for the sensor development team
• Coordinate with the Embedded Software, ECLSS Test, and AVI Test teams to implement best practices for unique sensor requirements
• Participate in sensor design for the Haven program, contributing unique ideas to environmental sensing in low-earth orbit

Benefits

• 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation 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, and other discounts and perks.
• We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, 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: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees