Head of Civil Programs

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.

• Lead capture efforts for NASA programs, from early opportunity shaping through proposal and award.
• Guide competitive positioning, teaming strategies, and proposal development in coordination with internal stakeholders.
• Develop and manage a multi-year NASA opportunity pipeline aligned with agency planning cycles and budgets.

• Develop and own Vast’s NASA civil space strategy aligned with agency priorities, mission needs, and program capabilities.
• Identify near-term and long-range NASA mission opportunities that leverage Haven-1 and future Vast programs.
• Provide strategic guidance to company leadership on program focus, timing, and positioning.
• Apply first principles thinking to Government needs to shape programs to rapidly deliver superior results for the Nation.
• Collaborate closely with Vast’s Government Affairs team and external advisors.

• Build and maintain senior-level relationships across NASA Headquarters, Mission Directorates, and Centers.
• Serve as one of Vast’s primary executive interfaces with NASA stakeholders.
• Work closely with internal teams to translate NASA objectives into viable mission concepts and program approaches.

• Ensure NASA requirements and expectations are clearly understood across engineering, program, legal, and operations teams.
• Support technical and programmatic reviews, milestones, and customer engagements as programs mature.
• Help establish program foundations that enable successful execution beyond contract award.

• Represent Vast at NASA-focused forums, customer meetings, and industry events.
• Present Vast station and future system capabilities and operational concepts to NASA stakeholders.
• Support the development of NASA-facing narratives and outreach materials as needed.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience working with NASA or NASA-funded civil space programs.
• Demonstrated success leading NASA program capture, proposal efforts, or mission development.
• Strong understanding of NASA program life cycles and operational environments.
• Excellent communication skills across technical, programmatic, and executive audiences.

• Master’s degree in engineering, systems engineering, or business.
• Experience with human spaceflight systems, in-space infrastructure, or operational space programs.
• Familiarity with NASA processes for advancing programs from concept through operations.
• Ability to lead complex efforts independently in a fast-moving environment.
• Passion for building the operational and technological foundations for sustained human presence in space.

• Ability to travel up to 30% of the time.

Pay Range:
California $235,000 — $294,000 USD

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…