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Director, Mission Engineering & Management Verified today

Vast · Long Beach, CA · Space Systems · first seen 2026-07-16
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About the Role

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure. We're now building a constellation-ready 15kW spacecraft bus with our first mission being a 10-satellite demo launch in Q4 2027. This role owns program and mission execution: schedule, requirements, budgets, customer relationships, and launch campaign planning. You are the counterpart to the Director of Engineering - they deliver the hardware, you deliver the mission.

Key Responsibilities

  • Own and maintain the integrated master schedule (IMS), critical path analysis, and milestone tracking
  • Own system-level requirements, capture in the digital twin toolchain, and flow down to subsystem teams
  • Own system budget closure against mission and customer requirements - ensure engineering bottoms-up budgets (mass, power, data, link) close with adequate margin
  • Represent the customer and mission perspective within engineering - challenge system trades and design decisions against requirements, build consensus, and bring well-formed positions to customer negotiations
  • Manage customer interface - payload requirements, ICD negotiations, and schedule alignment across all 10 manifest slots
  • Manage the satellite manifest - which sat gets which payload, build order, and configuration tracking
  • Negotiate launch contracts and manage the launch vehicle provider relationship
  • Plan and coordinate the launch campaign - launch site logistics, range compliance, satellite shipping and stacking sequence
  • Plan facility readiness - engineering offices, avionics lab, manufacturing floor, clean room, TVAC, vibe, and integration bay
  • Track risks, action items, and review close-out across all design reviews
  • Manage L-minus milestone tracking (L-180 through L-14)
  • Coordinate spectrum licensing for confirmed and TBD customer payloads
  • Own status reporting with weekly cadence and management visibility
  • Partner with business development as the technical counterpart on proposals - ensure what we sign up to is executable before we commit
  • Track vendor delivery schedules with the procurement lead

First 6 Weeks

  • Baseline the IMS and critical path with the Director of Engineering
  • Establish customer relationships and understand payload requirements status for all 10 manifest slots (6 confirmed, 4 TBD)
  • Take ownership of system budgets and identify any that aren't closed with margin
  • Understand the facility planning timeline and flag any gaps
  • Take ownership of program execution - drive schedule, customer relationships, and cross-functional coordination

Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline
  • 8+ years of engineering experience in aerospace or defense
  • 3+ years of program management, mission engineering, or systems engineering leadership experience
  • Experience running satellite or complex hardware delivery programs - schedule, cost, customer management
  • Strong systems engineering background - you can own requirements, budgets, and interfaces, not just track them
  • Experience managing multi-unit builds (constellation, batch production, or similar)
  • Managed customer and launch vehicle provider relationships
  • Comfortable with fast-paced, lean programs - you run the schedule in a spreadsheet before formal tools are set up
  • Strong written and verbal communication - you will represent the program to customers and leadership

Preferred Skills & Experience

  • Able to obtain a security clearance
  • Launch campaign experience (any launch provider)
  • Payload accommodation and ICD negotiation experience across multiple customer types
  • Experience with launch site facility operations
  • Spectrum licensing and regulatory coordination

Employment Details

This is a full-time, exempt position located in Long Beach, California.

Compensation: $188,600 to $267,720 USD, based on experience and demonstrated capability.

Benefits: Company equity, medical/dental/vision coverage, paid time off (20+ days vacation for exempt staff), paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, ClassPass credits, mental healthcare through Spring Health, onsite meals and snacks.

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, which includes U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending.