Mechanical Engineer

Vast is looking for a Mechanical Engineer, Thermal Control Systems reporting to the Manager, Thermal Control Hardware 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, CA location. 

Responsibilities: 

• Own the design and development of thermal control system and components (i.e. heat exchangers, cold plates, heaters, heat pipes, etc.) for our artificial-gravity space station, from initial design trades to fully functional and validated system.
• Iterate on manufacturing processes and development testing in a fast-paced environment.
• Own the project delivery timeline from early design through production, launch, and orbit insertion.
• Perform systems engineering tasks and fluid analyses.
• Lead design reviews internally and externally with suppliers and customers.
• Work with interdisciplinary stakeholders to ensure the component will integrate with the necessary avionics, software, and mission operations systems.
• Make sure that all designs are manufacturable and reliable.
• Bring technical excellence to everything you do.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or other engineering discipline.
• Experience working with fluid systems or components.
• 2+ years of hands-on hardware experience performing fabrication, assembly and/or testing.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience working with fluid systems or components.
• Demonstrated ability to own hardware or systems within an integrated engineering team outside a classroom setting.
• Hands-on hardware experience performing fabrication, assembly and/or testing.
• Proactive problem-solving skills such as failure analysis, root cause investigation, and design of experiment creation.
• Ability to perform trade studies using first principles and engineering fundamentals to make clear recommendations even with partial information.
• Experience with rotating machinery.
• Experienced in NX.
• Solid understanding and application of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and tolerance stack-up analysis.
• Experience with structural analysis methods (hand calcs, FEMAP, ANSYS) in order to optimize hardware to strength requirements as well as to evaluate for life and fracture.
• Knowledge of metallic and fluid system manufacturing techniques, processes, equipment, and other processes such as machining, welding, brazing, tube bending, etc.
• Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment, including frequent interactions with technicians, other engineers, and managers.
• Highly self-motivated with strong organizational and written/oral communication skills – able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment with the ongoing drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of work.

Additional Requirements:

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

Pay Range: 

• Mechanical Engineer: $110,000 - $142,100