Senior Mechanical Engineer, Tooling 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.

As a Vast Senior Mechanical Engineer, Tooling , you will be responsible for designing tools that bring our Haven space station from CAD to in-tolerance reality. Successful candidates are self-starters and expected to take ownership from concept through to implementation and first part production. Vast has opportunities for tooling and manufacturing engineers with experience in weld fixtures, sheet metal forming, weld inspection, integration tooling, structural testing, and transportation fixtures. This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach, CA location.

Responsibilities:

• Identify, propose, and lead tooling design and specifications while working with end customer engineering team and manufacturing technicians.
• Develop and document tooling requirements from various stakeholders such as vehicle design team, test team, and integration team.
• Manage schedule on assigned projects including critical next steps, deadlines, and outcomes.
• Manage vendor relationships and coordinate meetings to identify new technologies and how they can be applied to Vast’s cutting edge applications.
• Develop, test, and implement tool improvements to yield time savings or tolerance improvements.
• Coordinate tooling modifications related to part, production, or other changes.
• Work closely with engineering stakeholders and technicians to solve production-related issues.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical or manufacturing engineering or other engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in aerospace or automotive tooling.
• 5+ years of experience in NX or other CAD package.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• GD&T.
• Work orders and assembly instructions.
• Desire to work hands-on with technicians.
• Sheet metal fabrication.
• Compound curve sheet metal forming.
• Thin stainless steel welding.
• Design of pneumatic, electrical, or hydraulic motion systems.
• Critical lifting and breakovers fixtures.
• Thin sheet weld design.

Additional Requirements:

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

Salary Range: California
$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.

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.