Senior Welding Engineer

Long Beach, California, United States

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 May 2026. 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.

Senior Welding Engineer

Vast is looking for a Senior Welding Engineer, reporting to the Manager of Additive and Metal Processes, 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 location.

Responsibilities: 

  • Own various areas of metal processes from initial development to production handoff including but not limited to brazing and welding. 
  • Work hands on through materials selection, process and parameter development, qualification, and establishing controlled documentation to deliver reliable processes to manufacturing.
  • Establish qualification criteria and lead test campaigns for metallic materials including: materials characterization, interpreting testing and NDE results, and necessary heat treatment selection.
  • Collaborate closely with design, tooling, and manufacturing engineers to support areas of process ownership.
  • Perform root cause analysis and implement corrective solutions when support is needed.  

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Bachelor of Science degree in a related engineering discipline.
  • 5+ years of relevant hands-on experience working with development, manufacturing, and scaling of metals joining processes.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

  • Masters degree in welding engineering or related technical discipline.
  • Experience with brazing and fusion welding processes.
  • Fundamental knowledge of various welding processes including orbital tube, electron beam, friction-stir, plasma arc, and gas tungsten arc.
  • Understanding of commonly used standards and specifications for metal joining processes of aerospace and human flight programs. 
  • Enthusiastic attitude ready to dive into technically challenging work. 
  • Demonstrable knowledge in materials and manufacturing review for the development and qualification of aerospace applications.
  • Knowledge of primary production processes (e.g. conventional wrought product forms, extrusions, forgings, etc.) 
  • Knowledge of secondary production processes (e.g. heat treatment, plating, etc.) 
  • Understanding of standard Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) techniques used in aerospace.
  • Experience planning and executing material allowables development.
  • Experience with failure analysis and fractography including characterization techniques.

Additional Requirements:

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

Pay Range: 

  • Senior Welding Engineer $135,000 - $170,000

Salary Range: California

$135,000 - $170,000 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 10 days of vacation for non-exempt staff, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, One Medical membership, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.

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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.
 

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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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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 be considered for deemed export licensing. To assist Vast in assessing its export compliance obligations in relation to your application, please identify which ITAR/EAR status applies to you:

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