Software Engineer, iOS, Haven

About Vast

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.

Staff Software Engineer, iOS
, reporting to the Director, Ground Segment & Mission Operations
. This is a full‑time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location. As an iOS software engineer you will be the responsible engineer for the design, build, and testing of iOS native applications written in Swift to power crew user interfaces operating in Low Earth Orbit aboard Haven‑1. You will shepherd the project through the full Software Development Lifecycle as the original author of the app and collaborate daily with UX design, flight software, and avionics teams.

• Develop new and optimize existing software codebases and systems to power crew devices on the Vast family of spacecraft.
• Mentor junior software engineers and build a strong, capable team.
• Own the software lifecycle, including rolling out to operations, managing configurations, maintaining, upgrading, and supporting end‑users.
• Configure and optimize automated testing and deployment systems.
• Ensure software quality and reliability through testing, clean code, and attention to security.

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Informatics, Human‑Centered Design & Engineering, or related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of experience writing software.
• 4+ years of experience writing iOS applications (Objective‑C/C++ & Swift).

• Experience writing applications shipped and used by millions of users.
• Proficiency with shell scripting and the GNU/Linux operating system.
• Experience coding in C and C++ and integrating that code into iOS applications.
• Experience building applications in the cloud.
• Enjoy end‑user facing roles and cross‑functional collaboration.
• Ability to work quickly and accurately in a fast‑paced environment during critical launch and mission operations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Familiarity with Git and a bias for action.

• Willingness to work overtime or weekends to support critical mission milestones.

Base salary will vary based 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, 401(k), and a full suite of benefits and perks, including 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, flexible paid time off, paid parental leave, disability insurance, life insurance, One Medical membership, Class Pass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks.

The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls and must be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing.

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.