Principal Software Engineer, Ground Software

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 Principal Software Engineer, reporting to the Director, Ground Software & Mission Systems, 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 location.

As a principal software engineer on our growing team, you'll have an opportunity to mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership, building powerful software that helps expand humanity into space.

Responsibilities:

• Develop new and optimize existing software codebases and systems which will be used to test, command, and monitor the Vast family of spacecraft.

• Mentor junior ground software engineers to help build a strong and capable team.

• Own the lifecycle of software, including rolling out to operations, managing configurations, maintaining and upgrading, and supporting end-users.

• Configure and optimize automated testing and deployment systems.

• Maintain and upgrade the ground systems that control our test sites and communicate with our spacecraft at the launch site and on orbit.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or STEM discipline; OR 9+ years of professional experience as a software engineer.

• 10+ years experience writing full-stack web applications.

• Experience writing and securing REST APIs.

• Experience with database design, implementation, and security.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Proficiency using the command line, writing shell scripts, and an understanding of the GNU/Linux operating system.

• Experience building applications in the cloud.

• Enjoys end-user facing roles for support and interfacing with cross-functional teams.

• Ability to work quickly and accurately in fast-paced environment during critical launch and mission operations.

• Excellent communicator, both written and verbal.

• Familiarity with Git.

• Collaborative mindset.

• Problem solver with a bias for action.

• Knows how to work in a continuous build and test environment and understand the tools used.

• Front-end: HTML, CSS, Webpack, Typescript, React/Vue/Angular.

• Back-end: Golang, Grafana, InfluxDB, SQL, NoSQL, Redis.

• Cloud: AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, VPC.

• Networking: HTTP(S), DNS, OSI Network Model, Subnets.

• Basic understanding of RF Systems (Software Defined Radios, Digital Signal Processing).

Additional Requirements:

• Must be willing and able to work weekends and non-standard work-week hours to support critical mission milestones.

Salary Range: California
$214,100—$283,800 USD

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Base salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: 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.

U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS

The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing. This status includes U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Vast is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vast is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.