Staff Flight Software Systems Engineer 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 Staff Flight Software Systems Engineer , 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:

• Interact with engineering, integration, and certification teams to improve the reliability of software engineering used in space station development and operations.
• Carry out Vast’s software certification efforts to align our software processes to industry standards of safety and compliance.
• Analyze software development failure modes and their impact on mission-critical systems, and develop strategies to mitigate risks.
• Monitor and assess test or production software anomalies for flight risk and work with engineering to resolve issues leading up to launch.
• Perform independent technical review and verification of flight software system functionality and reliability.
• Implement and maintain automated software monitoring tools to proactively detect and resolve software issues in real-time.
• Collaborate with software development teams to incorporate reliability engineering principles into the software design and development lifecycle.
• Assess changes to the vehicle software configuration and design modifications for cross-system impacts.
• Stay abreast of the latest technologies and methodologies in software reliability engineering and space technology to continuously improve our software systems.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering or other engineering discipline.
• 2+ years of experience coding in Python or C++.
• A strong understanding of software architecture and design principles.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to document and explain complex technical issues clearly and concisely.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience with safety-critical software standards, such as DO-178C (aviation) or equivalent space-related standards.
• Knowledge of spacecraft systems and operations, and the unique challenges of the space environment.
• Experience with agile software development methodologies and DevOps practices.
• Familiarity with the Atlassian Suite (JIRA, Bitbucket, Confluence).
• Familiarity with Git, Cmake, and GNU tools.
• Able to work in a Linux environment.

Additional Requirements:

• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones.
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted.

Salary Range: California

$180,000 - $235,000 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. 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.