Senior Quality Engineer, E

Position: Senior Quality Engineer, E-2
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 looking for a Senior Quality Engineer, reporting to the E-2 Principal Engineer, to create the world's highest performing engine for small launchers, while optimizing for production and low cost. In this role, you will join a team with exciting momentum that has produced and successfully tested fully integrated engine development samples. You will be a key member who will help transition the system from development to production.

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

Responsibilities:

* Define and implement quality methodologies

* Hands on dimensional inspection skills using mechanical tools

* Identify and track manufacturing non-conformities and proactively work with manufacturing and engineering to address them

* Use expertise to contribute to the prevention of defects and non-conformities, ultimately reducing the likelihood of recalls and/or customer complaints.

* Drive continuous improvement initiatives by analyzing quality data, identifying trends, and implementing corrective and preventive actions to enhance the overall quality of our products and reduce costs.

* CMM programming skills

* Create and define technical and quality requirements based on customer and program requirements and expectations for NPI and manufacturing phases.

* Exert expert domain knowledge and effectively apply root cause analysis, FMEA, Cause Mapping, Cause & Effect diagrams, 8D, 5S and structured RCCA to drive effective and meaningful corrective action.

* Develop and approve process controls to regulate acceptance of critical characteristics.

* Recommend technical product improvements to reduce risk and potential defect opportunities and provide feedback as appropriate on manufacturing methods and technologies.

Minimum Qualifications:

* 5+ years experience with demand fast paced company working on quality, manufacturing or responsible engineer role

* Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or other engineering discipline

* Expert knowledge and experience in GD&T, CMM, MSA, Tooling, AS9100, AS9102, AS9103.

* Proficient in Blueprint Reading and First Article Inspection (FAI) and interpretation of Engineering Process Specifications.

Preferred

Skills & Experience:

* Master's degree in engineering, business, or supply chain.

* Certified Black / Green belt lean and Six-Sigma quality engineering methodologies.

* Experience with Quality Management Systems (ISO 9000 / AS9100 / AS6500 / NADCAP).

* Experience in statistical controls and methods (e.g. MSA, GR&R, Design of Experiments, Six Sigma, etc.).

* Ability to thrive in a fast paced environment.

* Effective written, verbal and presentation communication skills.

Additional Requirements:

* Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted.

Pay Range:
California

$130,000-$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, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, Class Pass 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 & onsite barista, 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.

U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS

The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and…