Mission Operations Engineer

About

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.

Staff Mission Operations Manager, reporting to the Vice President of Mission Operations. Full‑time, exempt, located in Long Beach, California.

• Take extreme ownership of large impact initiatives working with engineers across disciplines to support the development of spacecraft operations procedures, flight rules, products & processes, culminating in the safe & successful operations of a newly launched spacecraft.
• Provide technical and operational leadership as the operations expert in planning for and execution of pre‑flight testing and checkouts to ensure spacecraft and ground systems are ready for flight.
• Assist with leading the operation of Vast’s crewed and uncrewed missions for vehicle commissioning, on‑orbit operations, anomaly resolution and final deorbit of the spacecraft.
• Perform deep‑dive analysis of vehicle telemetry and deliver informed summaries as well as recommendations to mission stakeholders and other engineering disciplines for further review & analysis.
• Formulate and lead the execution of workflows facilitating improvements to processes & systems with a focus on advancing Vast’s Mission Operations while maintaining Vast’s commitment to excellence.
• Plan the scope of and create training materials for conducting training for console operators.
• Strategize plans for and lead efforts to iteratively improve the Mission Systems, Mission Operations Software and other ground processes and collaborate with the Mission Systems Engineering & Ground Software Engineering teams to implement them.
• Work closely with Mission Management to ensure customer requirements are translated to a Concept of Operations that balances all needs.
• Mentor & coach junior Mission Operations Engineers, offering guidance and recommendations to ongoing workflows.

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, software engineering, or other engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in the operation of complex systems.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross‑functionally with other engineering disciplines.
• Demonstrated ability to critically think in high stress environments and rapidly evolving situations.
• Ability to disseminate critical engineering & technical information effectively and clearly.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong demonstrated technical leadership ability.
• Willing to support 24/7 operations during mission critical phases.

• Experience in human spaceflight mission operations.
• Master’s degree in a technical field.
• 5+ years working in a spacecraft design, build, and test environment.
• Technical knowledge in spacecraft systems engineering (avionics, propulsion, attitude control, communications, orbital mechanics, life support systems, thermal and power control systems).
• Technical knowledge in Space‑to‑Ground Communication Systems (RF, Ground Stations, Modems, Antenna Systems).
• Experience building from scratch a system, process and team to perform complex operations of an aerospace system (launch vehicle, satellite, crew capsule).
• Matlab or Python/Octave proficiency.
• Proficient at using the command line and scripting languages.
• Strong technical writing skills.
• Strong mentorship and leadership skills.

• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time.
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones.

• Senior Mission Operations Engineer: $153,000 – $204,000
• Staff Mission Operations Engineer: $183,100 – $237,160

Base salary, equity, 401(k), health coverage, parental leave, short‑ and long‑term disability insurance, life…