Senior Manager, RF Engineering

Overview

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.

Senior Manager, RF Engineering, reporting to the Director, RF Engineering, to support the development of communication systems required for artificial‑gravity human‑rated space stations. This is a full‑time, exempt position located in Long Beach.

• Recruit and empower a diverse team of engineers to develop communication systems for crewed spacecraft.
• Guide the development of RF & communication systems requirements for Vast’s applications.
• Manage vendor and contractor relationships.
• Ensure the RF team meets project deadlines and company objectives.
• Foster a strong interdisciplinary relationship with other teams that rely on the RF team to be successful.
• Exemplify a culture of excellence, extreme ownership, and safety. Enable engineers to take responsibility for the system level impact of their work.

• Bachelor’s Degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, or related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of experience working in an RF communications role.
• 4+ years of experience in engineering leadership.

• Familiarity with space communication standards such as DVB‑S2, CCSDS, C2V2.
• Advanced degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, or related engineering discipline.
• Prior experience in an RF electronics or systems design role.
• Experience with software development in Matlab, Python, etc.
• Experience with digital communications and networking standards such as Ethernet, UDP, TCP/IP, SPI, I2C, PCIe, SGMII/RGMII.
• Experience with acceptance and qualification test of space‑rated hardware and related standards such as SMC‑S‑016, GSFC‑STD‑7000, MIL‑STD‑461.
• Deep understanding of system design, fault tolerance, and engineering process needed to create highly reliable, human rated spacecraft.
• Strong sense of accountability and integrity with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to teach people of a multitude of education and industry backgrounds about RF & optical communication systems.

Pay Range: $200,000 - $215,000 USD (California)

Base salary will vary depending on job‑related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Full‑time employees also receive company equity, 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 offer food perks: snacks, drip coffee, cold drinks, and dinner meals are free of charge, and lunch is subsidized.

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 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.

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.