Director – Flight Software Test @ 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 Director, Flight Software Test, reporting to the Senior Director of Avionics Software, to support the development of Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) lab and overall avionics testing strategy 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:

End-to-end ownership for all HITL testbeds used to develop software and mission profiles for Haven-1 and future space stations
Recruit, retain, and lead a high performing test team of both ICs and managers
Set team strategy and technical direction and drive execution toward achieving Haven mission success and meeting business objectives
This is a hands-on leadership role. You will be directly contributing to the test cases, HITL designs, test software framework, and manual assembly as part of leading this team
Work closely with the broader flight software org as well as other engineering departments across Vast
You must be comfortable reasoning about complex multi-disciplinary systems

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, physics, or other relevant engineering/science disciplines
15+ years of experience developing testing solutions for complex systems
8+ years of experience building and managing teams to deliver on a technical vision and strategy
Expert knowledge of Python and PyTest
Fault-tolerant and safety-critical software design
Know how to read schematics and hardware datasheets
Familiarity with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and digital multimeters
Familiarity with git, make, and gnu tools
Familiarity with Docker and container based software development
Familiarity with CI/CD best practices
Expert knowledge of working in a Linux environment and using command line based tools
Expert in real-time control systems development and testing
Understanding of industry standards for verification and validation of safety critical software

Preferred Skills & Experience:

Experience developing software for complex systems such as spacecraft, aircraft or autonomous vehicles
Familiarity with NI and other DAQ Hardware
Experience developing electronics hardware and board bring up
Experience with network programming
Familiarity with the Atlassian Suite (JIRA, Confluence), Github, and Artifactory
Experience with utilizing COTS hardware for rapid prototyping and HITL testbed bringup
Experience with embedded linux and the ARM A and M series microcontrollers

Salary Range: California

$214,100—$283,800 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.

6 month growth

1 year growth

2 year growth