Senior Dynamics Engineer

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 launch into low‑Earth orbit in 2026 as the world’s first commercial space station.

Senior Dynamics Engineer, full‑time, exempt, reporting to the Senior Manager of Loads and Dynamics, located in Long Beach, CA.

• Derive internal load and environment requirements from system‑level requirements.
• Assist product groups with vibration and shock requirement tailoring and test verification.
• Assess vendor hardware capabilities against in‑house predictions.
• Develop post‑processing tools for dynamic analyses and tests.
• Build, maintain, and correlate prediction models based on gathered test data.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• 4+ years of professional experience in loads and environment prediction.

• Spacecraft and/or payload background with experience through the entire system lifecycle.
• Hands‑on test experience in vibration labs.
• Familiarity with Femap/NASTRAN.
• Ability to explain structural dynamic concepts to other engineering functions.
• Working understanding of a design load cycle and how it relates to analysis and test.
• Knowledge of spacecraft launch load environments and industry standard documents (SMC‑S‑016, GSFC‑STD‑7000A, MIL‑STD‑810G, etc.).

• Ability to travel occasionally for out‑of‑house testing.

• Principal Dynamics Engineer: $184,900 – $240,100 (California).

Base salary is one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full‑time employees also receive company equity, 401(k), and a full suite of benefits including: 100% medical, dental, and vision for employees and dependents; flexible paid time off; paid parental leave; short‑ and long‑term disability and life insurance;
One Medical;
Class Pass; mental health care; and food perks.

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.