Supplier Reliability Engineer - Metallic Materials & Processes

Vast • Long Beach, CA

3d • $123,000 - $230,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Vast is seeking a Senior/Staff Supplier Reliability Engineer to support development of systems for artificial-gravity, human-rated space stations. Reporting to the Senior Manager of Supplier Reliability, this role ensures the quality and reliability of products and components received from suppliers. The position is full-time, exempt, and located in Long Beach, California. It involves supplier qualification and development, collaboration with design, manufacturing, and procurement teams, and ownership of supplier quality improvement and corrective-action efforts. The role may require evening or weekend work to support critical mission milestones, travel up to 50%, and lifting up to 25 pounds unassisted.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• At least 5 years of materials, process, or quality engineering experience with metal products in a production environment, including hands-on root-cause and corrective action on material or process issues.
• Working knowledge of metallurgy, heat treatment, common metal defects, forging, extrusion, casting, welding, surface and finishing processes, or non-destructive evaluation.
• Experience reading and applying AMS and ASTM standards and drawing-callout requirements.
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds 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

• Advanced degree in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or Engineering.
• Proven record of owning root-cause and corrective actions through verified closure and influencing suppliers to achieve results.
• Hands-on failure analysis experience, including fractography, metallography, and SEM/EDS.
• Working knowledge of quality systems such as ISO 9000, AS9100, and NADCAP, and supplier quality processes such as PPAP, APQP, and FAI.
• Familiarity with AMS-STD-2154 and ASTM E2375 (UT, wrought); ASTM A388 (heavy forgings); ASTM E45 and E112 (inclusions and grain size); AMS 2759 and 2750 (heat treatment and pyrometry); AMS 2700 and ASTM B912 (passivation and electropolishing); MIL-A-8625 (anodizing); and AMS 2430 (shot peening).
• Experience applying statistical methods such as MSA, DOE, hypothesis testing, and Cpk, and problem-solving methods such as 8D, fault tree, Ishikawa, and Six Sigma.
• Experience with additive manufacturing, electron-beam and fusion-welding metallurgy, fracture mechanics, or damage tolerance.
• Experience with MES and PLM systems, Google suite, SQL, and Python.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced environment across a matrix of functions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey technical findings to all levels of Vast and the supply base.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and onboard suppliers through audits, assessments, and evaluations to verify they meet quality expectations.
• Build and maintain supplier relationships, address quality issues, identify supply-chain risks, and implement improvements.
• Collaborate with design and manufacturing engineers to understand piece-part, assembly, and subsystem design intent; conduct design-for-manufacturing reviews, preferably before sourcing.
• Work with procurement to strategically source parts by assessing supplier manufacturing processes, inspection practices, and quality systems.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives internally and with suppliers by analyzing quality data, identifying trends, and implementing corrective and preventive actions to improve quality and reduce costs.
• Create supplier technical and quality requirements based on customer and program expectations for new product introduction and manufacturing phases.
• Analyze supplier quality and delivery metrics, identify systemic performance gaps, and develop supplier improvement plans.
• Lead root-cause and corrective-action processes for escapes or contaminants identified in Vast manufacturing or the supply chain.
• Demonstrate ownership, technical excellence, proactivity, and attention to detail.

Benefits

• Company equity for full-time employees.
• 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.
• Employee 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