Senior Threat Detection Engineer

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 sporty 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 isall‑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 Threat Detection Engineer
, reporting to the Information Security Manager
, 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.

• Research, select/build, and implement processes/tools to improve detection security methodologies.
• Analyze logs from various sources to identify patterns indicative of malicious activities to drive detection strategies.
• Create detection queries to enhance visibility and monitoring capabilities within Vast’s infrastructure.
• Implement continual improvements to incident response playbooks.
• Monitor security systems, networks, and applications for suspicious activities.
• Design and implement security orchestration and automation response.
• Collaborate with the Information Security team to peer review detection strategies and to foster an effective and positive work environment.
• Support compliance efforts as it relates to NIST 800‑171, CMMC, 2.0 and/or ITAR/EAR.

• 4+ years of hands‑on experience.
• Deep understanding of MITRE ATT&CK and how it applies to various on‑prem and cloud resources.
• Prior experience handling material incidences from start to finish.
• Previous experience implementing “Detection as Code”.
• Proficiency in configuring, deploying, and maintaining security tools such as SIEM, IDS/IPS, antivirus, SOAR tooling and/or vulnerability scanning.
• Proficient knowledge of network protocols, firewalls, and intrusion detection/prevention systems.

• Understanding of compliance requirements and certifications like NIST 800‑171, CMMC 2.0, DFARS 252.204‑7012, ITAR/EAR
• Prior experience handling digital forensics with tooling such as FTK and Autopsy
• Prior experience working in a fast‑paced startup environment.
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience for Staff level
• Prior experience using agentic AI to augment detection capabilities
• Familiarity with security SaaS solutions and relevant integrations
• Prior experience architecting a new custom detection framework

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

• Threat Detection Engineer Level II: $106,000 - $151,900
• Senior Threat Detection Engineer: $125,000 - $171,500
• Staff Threat Detection Engineer: $152,000 - $230,000

Pay Range:
California $106,000 — $230,000 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 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, 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, cold drinks, and dinneremet meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high‑quality meals for employees.