Full-Time

Senior Harness Design Engineer

VAST

VAST

501-1,000 employees

Develops artificial gravity space stations

Compensation Overview

$137.8k - $195.6k/yr

+ Equity

Long Beach, CA, USA

In Person

On-site role in Long Beach, CA; travel up to 10%.

Category
Hardware Engineering (2)
,
Required Skills
FEM/FEA
Requirements
  • Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or other engineering discipline
  • 5+ years of experience in design focused roles
  • 2+ years of experience with wire harness 3D design, wiring diagrams, and formboard creation.
Responsibilities
  • Develop the electro-mechanical design of flight wire harnesses for the Haven space station.
  • Develop the electro-mechanical design of development and test harnesses to support qualification testing efforts.
  • Design and analyze complex electrical architectures and wire harness systems, including development of detailed wiring diagrams, connector layouts, and system integration documentation for multi-disciplinary spacecraft/vehicle electrical systems
  • Evaluate and implement power distribution and data communication strategies, ensuring proper signal integrity across mixed power/data pathways and selecting appropriate communication protocols (CAN, Ethernet, RS-422, USB, etc.) for system requirements
  • Develop system logic and control architectures, creating interface control documents (ICDs) and performing electrical analysis to ensure compatibility between subsystems, including power budgeting, load analysis, and signal routing optimization
  • Meet with multidisciplinary stakeholders to gather harness design objectives and requirements.
  • Develop harness design and routing solutions with a 3D NX CAD environment.
  • Provide great flight wire harness and vehicle/system level documentation
  • Perform analysis and physical testing of harnessing with respect to thermal, loads, vibration, and shock to ensure full qualification for flight.
  • Document and communicate the design, analysis, and testing results thoroughly and clearly through the use of design reviews.
  • Interface with harness production and integration teams to ensure final harness designs can be produced and installed on schedule in accordance with overall project goals.
  • Perform R&D investigations and trade studies to push wire harness design to new boundaries in terms of capabilities, mass savings, cost savings.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience designing harnesses to IPC/WHMA-A-620, IPC/WHMA-A-620-S, and NASA-STD-8739.4.
  • Strong team working skills with a proven ability to effectively interact and collaborate with other engineering disciplines and excellent attention to detail.
  • 2+ years of experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter.
  • Wire harness component selection and qualification experience.
  • General wire harness analysis, testing, and qualification experience.
  • 2+ years of experience with harness design and manufacturing documentation.
  • Capability to solve complex design problems within tight schedules and minimal supervision.
  • Passion for advancing the commercial space industry and space exploration, with a strong desire to revolutionize wire harness design.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced, autonomously driven, and demanding startup atmosphere.
  • Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
  • Strong sense of personal accountability and drive to succeed.

Vast Space builds artificial gravity space stations to enable long-term human life in space. Its approach uses large rotating habitats that generate centrifugal force to mimic Earth's gravity, helping astronauts stay healthy during extended missions. The company designs, tests, demonstrates, services, and manufactures space infrastructure and customizable habitat modules for government space agencies, private aerospace companies, and research institutions that operate in lunar, Martian, or deep-space missions. Unlike others, Vast Space focuses on end-to-end artificial gravity solutions and ongoing support, not just concepts, and targets contracts that provide sustainable space habitats for science, exploration, and colonization efforts. The overall goal is to expand humanity’s reach across the solar system by creating scalable, gravity-enabled habitats that enable safe, long-term presence in space while protecting Earth's ecosystem.

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$500M

Headquarters

Long Beach, California

Founded

2021

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • QIA-led $500M funding in March 2026 scales Haven-2 development.
  • Haven Demo succeeded November 2025, validating key subsystems.
  • In-Q-Tel investment signals national security demand for Vast stations.

What critics are saying

  • Falcon 9 capacity constraints delay Haven-1 beyond Q1 2027.
  • Axiom Station captures NASA CLD contract before Haven-2 operationalizes.
  • McCaleb withdraws funding if Ripple faces SEC action by 2027.

What makes VAST unique

  • Haven-1 launches Q1 2027 as first commercial space station on Falcon 9.
  • Haven-1 Lab offers 10 slots for 30kg microgravity research payloads.
  • Roadmap progresses to Haven-2 in 2028 and artificial gravity Haven-3.
  • Six control moment gyroscopes enable precise Haven-1 attitude control.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Paid Vacation

Parental Leave

401(k) Retirement Plan

Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

1%

1 year growth

3%

2 year growth

8%
SpaceWatch.Global GmbH
Mar 9th, 2026
Vast secures $500M in funding to accelerate production of Haven space stations.

Vast secures $500M in funding to accelerate production of Haven space stations. Vast has raised $500 million in new funding, comprising $300 million in Series A equity and $200 million in debt,... Vast has raised $500 million in new funding, comprising $300 million in Series A equity and $200 million in debt, to advance its mission of enabling humanity to live and work in space long-term, and support the continued development of Vast's Haven space stations. The company will leverage the funding to expand facilities, grow its team, and advance its proposed successor to the ISS, Haven-2, ensuring continuous human presence in LEO. Membership Required. You must be a member to access this content. Joshua Faleti. Kofoworola Joshua Faleti is the News Editor. He enjoys talking and learning about space and wants to talk about space to anyone who cares to listen. Joshua is interested in Space Law and Policy and how Space can positively impact human lives. Joshua is also a big music lover. March 13, 2026 March 9, 2026 March 2, 2026 February 27, 2026 March 8, 2026 March 9, 2026 Free of charge, finished in just 20 seconds! * Required

Vast
Mar 6th, 2026
Vast Secures $500M in Funding to Accelerate Production of Haven Space Stations — an update by VAST

Vast is advancing next-generation space station technologies and infrastructure for America and its allies.

Cision
Mar 5th, 2026
NYSE Content Update: Vast Raises $500 Million to Boost its Haven Space Stations

NYSE Content update: Vast raises $500 million to boost its Haven space stations. Mar 05, 2026, 08:58 ET NYSE issues a pre-market daily advisory direct from the trading floor. NEW YORK, March 5, 2026 /CNW/ - The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) provides a daily pre-market update directly from the NYSE Trading Floor. Access today's NYSE Pre-market update for market insights before trading begins. Ashley Mastronardi delivers the pre-market update on March 5th * Equities are trading choppily Thursday morning as the Iran conflict enters its sixth day, with investors reducing risk exposure and oil prices climbing on renewed energy-market disruptions. * RSM U.S. Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas and AAA Spokesperson Aixa Diaz will join NYSE Live this morning to speak to the impact of rising oil prices. * Next-Gen space station developer Vast has raised $500 million in fresh funding to accelerate production of its Haven space stations. * The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation will ring the Closing Bell to recognize distinguished acts of military valor. Opening Bell Pentair (NYSE: PNR) celebrates its 30th anniversary of listing Closing Bell The NYSE welcomes the Congressional Medal of Honor Society SOURCE New York Stock Exchange Joe Benarroch, [email protected], Head of Content, Media Partnerships, & Distribution

SpaceNews
Mar 5th, 2026
Vast raises $500M to build commercial space stations with Haven-1 launch in 2027

Vast has raised $500 million in its first significant outside funding, comprising $300 million in Series A equity and $200 million in debt. The round was led by Balerion Space Ventures, with participation from Qatar Investment Authority, IQT, Mitsui, MUFG, Nikon and others. The Long Beach-based company, previously funded by cryptocurrency billionaire founder Jed McCaleb, has invested over $1 billion and employs more than 1,000 people. Vast is building Haven-1, a single-module space station scheduled to launch in early 2027, as a precursor to the multi-module Haven-2 station for NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations programme. The company recently completed testing of Haven Demo, a satellite validating key subsystems, and won a private astronaut mission to the ISS scheduled for mid-2027.

Payload
Mar 5th, 2026
Vast Secures $500M, Including $300M Series A

Vast secures $500M, including $300M series A. Thursday March 5, 2026 Waning Gibbous Payload in your inbox. In-depth research, exclusive data, and expert analysis on the business and policy of space. Get ahead of the competition.