Manager – Additive Manufacturing @ VAST

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 Manager of Additive Manufacturing, reporting to the Senior Manager of Advanced Manufacturing, 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 Hawthorne location.

The Additive Manufacturing Manager is responsible for leading the additive engineering and technician teams to further develop and productionize the internal additive manufacturing capabilities. In this role, you will ensure successful additive operations by maintaining on-time delivery, ensuring quality and efficiency, and setting strategic development direction for the additive team. As Vast scales, you will be responsible for scaling the production systems to continue to meet the increased demand, while developing the technology to increase the capabilities of the in-house manufacturing shop.

Responsibilities:

Motivates and leads a high-performance team while providing technical mentorship and direction to grow the team’s skills and capabilities to align with business needs
Manage and direct the additive manufacturing team to:

Additive Materials and Process Development & Qualification to meet AS9100D and NASA specs
Additive Hardware Prototyping and Process Development
Bring in Generative Design and Design for Additive Capabilities

Manage the Additive Supply Chain and Consumables
Manage Internal & External Research Projects and Proposals
Work closely with the engineering, quality, and supply chain teams to ensure that customer orders are produced on-time, efficiently and cost-effectively.
To achieve success, the candidate will leverage their business knowledge and technical domain experience in manufacturing and additive technologies to promote innovation while balancing risk and investment priorities
You will leverage your excellent communication skills (verbal and written) as you will be responsible for communicating progress across our multifaceted team to adjacent stakeholders and executives

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in aeronautical, mechanical engineering, or other engineering discipline
4+ years of experience in Metal Additive
2+ years of experience in propulsions design or development of metallic additive technologies
Deep knowledge of metal additive manufacturing technology
Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interface with engineering and manufacturing groups to understand process constraints and provide design inputs for improved manufacturability

Preferred Skills & Experience:

Master’s degree in manufacturing engineering
4+ years of experience operating additive machines, including process control and verifications
Knowledge of NASA 6030 spec
Knowledge of AS9100D qualification processes
Knowledge of various additive and subtractive manufacturing and joining techniques for metals
Experience managing small to midsize teams of technicians and engineers
Ability to perform trade studies using first principles and engineering fundamentals
Experience with NX, SOLIDWORKS
Excellent communication skills and ability to succinctly present recommendations
Passion for advancing additive manufacturing technology
Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment
Highly self-motivated and able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment

Pay Range:

Manager, Additive Manufacturing: $125,000 - $175,000

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.

Compensation Overview

6 month growth

1 year growth

2 year growth