Manager, Engineering

At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next-generation space stations to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Using an incremental, hardware-rich and low-cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030\. 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 seeking an experienced and strategic Manager, Engineering to lead high-performing engineering organizations developing critical systems for next-generation human-rated space stations and spacecraft. This role will provide organizational, technical, and execution leadership. This is a full-time, exempt position located in Long Beach location. Responsibilities Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams across design, integration, test, and delivery of spacecraft hardware. Own execution across the full product lifecycle—from concept and requirements definition through manufacturing, verification, qualification, and operations. Align manufacturing, supply chain, quality, test, and program management on hardware delivery and integration. Set org priorities, staffing, roadmaps, and resource plans to meet program milestones. Drive technical decisions and risk management across performance, safety, and compliance. Lead design reviews, trades, root cause investigations, and corrective actions. Mentor engineers and managers; build a culture of accountability and technical excellence. Own recruiting, performance management, and succession planning. Manage supplier and partner relationships across development, manufacturing, and integration. Champion continuous improvement in engineering efficiency, quality, and velocity.