Assembly Integration & Test Engineer, Satellites Verified today

This is the founding Assembly, Integration & Test Engineer position for Vast Satellite. You will not inherit a factory, procedures, or test stand. You will build them. You own how a Vast satellite gets physically built, integrated, and proven flightworthy, from the first development unit through a production line that turns out flight hardware at rate.

What you will do

You will write the integration flow and test philosophy, stand up environmental test capability and ground support equipment, lead the campaigns that use them, and feed what you learn back into design so the next ten units build faster than the last. You will work directly alongside discipline leads for structures, avionics, thermal, power, GNC, and flight software.

Integration & Test

• Lead and own integration and test campaigns at every level: component, box, subsystem, and full vehicle
• Define test philosophy for the bus: what gets acceptance tested, what gets protoqualified, what qualifies by similarity, and how that evolves from development to rate production
• Develop acceptance, qualification, and R&D test plans; drive them through execution and closure
• Work with systems and subsystems leads on requirements and verification/validation plans
• Develop, maintain, and operate environmental test systems including random vibration, TVAC, thermal cycling, EMI/EMC, and mass properties
• Design, build, and maintain mechanical and electrical ground support equipment (MGSE/EGSE) and supporting facilities
• Interface with ground test software, implement flight software configuration changes for test, and work hands-on with hardware-in-the-loop systems
• Own test data: what we record, how it's reviewed, what constitutes a pass, and how results reach the responsible engineer

Assembly & Manufacturing

• Partner with Design Engineering to drive Design for Manufacture and Design for Test into the bus while design is moving: access, fastener reach, connector orientation, test point availability, handling and lift points
• Design, procure, install, and validate assembly, test, and verification processes, including tooling, fixtures, and work instructions
• Support development builds to surface early learnings and retire integration risk ahead of production ramp
• Triage and diagnose failures, run deep technical investigations, and determine path forward for containment, risk mitigation, and root cause resolution
• Drive process improvements across manufacturing, test, and integration with explicit focus on repeatability across many identical vehicles
• Contribute to change management, assessing risk and impact of design or process changes on build and test
• Plan and specify integration facility footprint as program scales: clean room, integration bay, test cell, and flow between them

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical discipline
• 8 or more years of experience in test engineering, integration, or another hands-on hardware engineering role
• Hands-on experience with spacecraft or complex flight hardware integration
• Experience with environmental testing, including thermal vacuum and random vibration
• Experience developing and executing test plans and procedures from scratch, and writing technical documentation that supports them: procedures, test reports, requirements, discrepancy reports
• Proficiency with at least one of C, C++, Python, or MATLAB for test automation, data reduction, or GSE control
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot hardware failures under schedule pressure and drive them to root cause
• Comfortable operating without an established process

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Able to obtain a security clearance
• Master's or PhD in electrical, electronics, mechatronics, aerospace, or another engineering discipline
• Strong working knowledge of satellite subsystems (C&DH, ADCS, EPS, COMM) and how they integrate at vehicle level
• Experience with multi-unit or constellation builds where integration flow must be repeatable across 10 or more identical vehicles
• Clean room operations and ESD-sensitive hardware handling experience
• Hands-on with electrical test equipment: PSU, oscilloscope, DMM, spectrum analyzer
• Experience designing and implementing automated test systems for electronics
• Understanding of sensors, signal conditioning, and data acquisition electronics
• Familiarity with spacecraft harness design, build, and test best practices
• 3D CAD proficiency, preferably NX
• RF testing and hardware-in-the-loop testing experience
• Familiarity with IPC/J-STD workmanship standards and IPC Class 3 space applications
• Launch site or launch campaign experience

Additional Requirements

• This is an on-site role at Vast's Long Beach, CA facility
• Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as required to support build and test campaigns, particularly around major milestones and launch
• Ability to work in a clean room environment and around ESD-sensitive hardware
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted and work in confined or elevated spaces around flight hardware
• Occasional travel to suppliers, test facilities, and launch site

Compensation

Base salary range for California: $112,340 to $230,472 USD. Salary varies based on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Full-time employees receive company equity and comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision coverage; paid time off with 20+ days vacation for exempt staff; paid parental leave; disability and life insurance; 401(k) retirement plan; and onsite meals.

Export Control

The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls. You must be a U.S. person as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62, or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing. This includes U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending.