Staff Mission Operations Engineer

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 Staff Mission Operations Manager , reporting to the Vice President of Mission Operations, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. Use this space to describe the role and sell the candidate on the cool stuff they would get to work on.

At Vast, Mission Operations Engineers are responsible for the planning and successful execution of our spacecraft missions. They work cross functionally with engineers from other disciplines from the very early stages of spacecraft design through on-orbit decommissioning. The Mission Operations Engineer is responsible for mission operations including authoring procedures to operate the spacecraft, ensuring mission ops runs efficiently, and ensuring the integrity and validity of commands sent to and telemetry received from the spacecraft.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities:

• Take extreme ownership of large impact initiatives working with engineers across disciplines to support the development of spacecraft operations procedures, flight rules, products & processes, culminating in the safe & successful operations of a newly launched spacecraft

• Provide technical and operational leadership as the operations expert in planning for and execution of pre-flight testing and checkouts to ensure spacecraft and ground systems are ready for flight

• Assist with leading the operation of Vast’s crewed and uncrewed missions for vehicle commissioning, on-orbit operations, anomaly resolution and final deorbit of the spacecraft

• Perform deep-dive analysis of vehicle telemetry and deliver informed summaries as well as recommendations to missions stakeholders as well as to other engineering disciplines for further review & analysis

• Formulate and lead the execution of workflows facilitating improvements to processes & systems with a focus on advancing Vast’s Mission Operations while maintaining Vast’s commitment to excellence

• Plan the scope of and create training materials for conducting training for console operators

• Strategize plans for and lead efforts to iteratively improve the Mission Systems, Mission Operations Software and other ground processes and collaborate with the Mission Systems Engineering & Ground Software Engineering teams to implement them

• Work closely with Mission Management to ensure customer requirements are translated to a Concept of Operations that balances all needs

• Mentor & coach junior Mission Operations Engineers, offering guidance and recommendations to ongoing workflows

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, software engineering, or other engineering discipline

• 7+ years of experience in the operation of complex systems

• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with other engineering disciplines

• Demonstrated ability to to critically think in high stress environments and rapidly evolving situations

• Ability to disseminate critical engineering & technical information effectively and clearly

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Strong demonstrated technical leadership ability

• Willing to support 24/7 operations during mission critical phases

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience in human spaceflight mission operations

• Master’s degree in a technical field

• 5+ years working in a spacecraft design, build, and test environment

• Technical knowledge in spacecraft systems engineering (avionics, propulsion, attitude control, communications, orbital mechanics, life support systems, thermal and power control systems)

• Technical knowledge in Space-to-Ground Communication Systems (RF, Ground Stations, Modems, Antenna Systems)

• Experience building from scratch a system, process and team to perform complex operations of an aerospace system (launch vehicle, satellite, crew capsule)

• Software Engineering Skills (C++, Golang, Javascript, React, Software Architecture, Databases, Cloud)

• Matlab or Python/Octave Proficiency

• Proficient at using the command line and scripting languages

• Strong Technical Writing skills

• Strong mentorship and leadership skills

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time

• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Pay Range:

• Senior Mission Operations Engineer: $153,000 - $204,000

• Staff Mission Operations Engineer: $183,100 - $237,160

Pay Range: California
$153,000—$237,160 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.