Senior Avionics Systems 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 2026. It is part of our stepping stone approach to continuous human presence in LEO. 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 Senior Avionics Systems Engineer, reporting to the Senior Manager, Avionics and Power Systems, to support the development of systems 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: 

  • Function as responsible engineer for avionics systems across design, integration, test, launch, and operations.
  • Define detailed systems design, including system interfaces, consumable budgets, harness and channel capabilities, hardware capabilities, reliability and fault tolerance compliance, vehicle risk assessments, and configuration change management.
  • Collaborate with a cross-functional engineering team to define requirements, perform systems trades, and scope designs as they move from concept to flight production. 
  • Architect and inform autonomous behaviors, vehicle modes, and fault responses to comply with vehicle redundancy and fault-tolerance requirements.
  • Develop system-level test plans for integrated flight hardware to verify test coverage and vehicle flight readiness.
  • Evaluate vehicle health and perform real-time troubleshooting to drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
  • Create and maintain system designs, processes, and validation techniques to improve reliability and streamline production.
  • Support process improvement by identifying recurring issues, implementing design feedback, and enabling higher system reliability.
  • Travel to launch sites or test facilities as needed to support operational activities.
  • Mentor and support fellow engineers, fostering strong technical development across the team.

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or other engineering discipline.
  • 5+ years of professional or project experience with avionics design, analysis, system level integration, and/or unit level testing. 
  • Experience with systems engineering principles and processes as they relate to spacecraft development.
  • Experience with lifecycle development as it relates to space systems, including requirement definition, identifying design solutions, integration, validation and verification, qualification, and operation.
  • Ability to effectively communicate technical topics to a wide variety of audiences.
  • Ability to creatively solve problems and weigh against multi-disciplinary requirements while assessing risk and making design and development decisions with incomplete data. 
  • Self-motivated with strong learning, multi-tasking, organizational, communication and documentation skills.
  • Strong sense of accountability and integrity with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to work autonomously and thrive in a fast paced environment.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

  • Experience defining, managing, and verifying flight software interfaces.
  • Experience with system design and test of subsystems like power, GNC, RF, and human interfaces.
  • Experience with high-reliability/fault-tolerant electronics for aerospace or defense applications.
  • Understanding of electrical schematics and electronics manufacturing to analyze and improve test coverage.
  • Competence with electrical test equipment (multimeters, oscilloscopes, network analyzers, power supplies, etc.)

Additional Requirements:

  • Ability to travel up to 10% travel to support launch campaigns.
  • Comfortable balancing several projects at any given time with the flexibility to adjust for abrupt changes in strategic direction.
  • Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Pay Range:

  • Senior Avionics Systems Engineer: $135,800-$176,000
  • Staff Avionics Systems Engineer: $159,100-$205,800

Salary Range: California

$135,800 - $205,800 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 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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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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