Senior Materials and Processes Engineer, Metallurgy Long Beach, California, United States

Senior Materials and Processes Engineer, Metallurgy

Long Beach, California, United States

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 August 2025. 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 Materials and Processes Engineer, Metallurgy , reporting to the Manager of Materials and Processes , 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.

Responsibilities:

• Lead materials selection, process development, and M&P qualification for metallic materials used on an artificial-gravity space station.
• Establish qualification criteria and lead test campaigns for metallic materials including material characterization, mechanical properties, joining practices, heat treatment, non-destructive testing, and other special processes.
• Write and interpret material and special process specifications. Ensure that specification acceptance/inspection procedures, and processing instructions, are complete and properly controlled.
• Perform root cause and corrective action analyses to solve problems encountered with internal or vendor manufacturing processes.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science degree in materials science, materials engineering, weld engineering, or related technical discipline.
• 3+ years of experience working with aluminum alloys, stainless steels, and/or nickel-based alloys in a materials engineering role.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Materials of Science degree in Materials Engineering or related discipline.
• Demonstrable knowledge in materials and manufacturing review and selection, development, and qualification for aerospace applications.
• Knowledge of joining processes (e.g. brazing, orbital tube welding, etc.)
• Knowledge of primary production processes (e.g. conventional wrought product forms, extrusions, forgings, etc.)
• Knowledge of secondary production processes (e.g. heat treatment, plating, etc.)
• Understanding of standard Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) techniques used in aerospace.
• Experience planning and executing material allowables development.
• Experience with failure analysis and fractography including characterization techniques.
• Capable of interfacing with and conveying concepts within all levels of our organization.
• Strong academic foundation coupled with hands-on experience.
• Desire to mentor interns, less experienced engineers, and technicians.

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time.
• Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones.
• Ability to lift up to 25lbs unassisted.

Salary Range: $135,000 - $170,000 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 15 days of vacation for non-exempt staff, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, free catered meals and snacks and beverages, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, One Medical membership, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks.

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.

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.

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