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 Staff Ground Segment Engineer, Mission Systems, reporting to the Director, Ground Software & Mission Systems, to support the development of the systems that will be required to fly artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. This engineer will work cross-functionally with Ground Software, Mission Operations, IT, Safety & Mission Assurance, and Facilities to design, evaluate, and build the critical systems necessary to support real-time operations of all of our missions.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities:

Design, provision, maintain, and operate resources in AWS and mission critical networks
Design, build, and maintain mission-critical voice and video systems communication systems
Configure servers for ground systems such as Ground Stations, Ground Station Emulators, communications systems, and mission-partner infrastructure
Work on console in mission operations monitoring critical systems prepared to resolve issues quickly and safely
Conduct trade studies to select mission systems
Conduct Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) to ensure system design meets fault-tolerance requirements for human-rated space systems
Collaborate with Mission Operations team to write procedures for the operation of systems in both nominal and off-nominal scenarios
Conduct Verification & Validation to ensure critical systems meet the necessary requirements
Collaborate closely with the InfoSec team to ensure the security, integrity, and high-availability of all systems
Implement system monitoring and observability tools to ensure awareness of system health and promote preventative maintenance

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, Communications Systems, or other engineering discipline
5+ years experience with computer networking including ethernet, MAC, IP, TCP/UDP, VLANs, subnets, BGP, VPNs, SD-WAN, and firewalls

Preferred Skills & Experience:

Experience with facilities in aerospace industry including familiarity with industry regulations (ITAR, EAR, CMMC, NIST 800-171, FedRAMP) and processes (requirements, verification & validation, FMECA, risk assessment)
Familiarity with RF communication systems, especially those used for satellite communications
Familiarity with power systems including backup generators, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and automatic transfer switches (ATS)
Experience with physical layout design
Experience designing and operating mission-critical systems and infrastructure
Ability to work effectively in a team environment
Ability to make independent judgments with limited information
Communication skills for relaying data (verbally and in-writing) between other employees, vendors, and customers
Comfortable working in a high-stress environment balancing several projects at any given time, and the flexibility to adjust for abrupt changes in strategic direction.

Additional Requirements:

Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones
Ability to lift up to 25lbs unassisted

Salary Range: California

$155,000—$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.

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