Tooling Manufacturing 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 be the world's first commercial space station when it launches into low earth orbit in May 2026. Our team is all-in, committed to executing our mission safely and on time. If you want to work with the most talented people on Earth furthering space exploration for humanity, come join us.

Tooling Group – Mission

The Tooling Group is at the core of transforming ambitious spacecraft designs into flight-ready reality. We engineer the fixtures, handling equipment, lift systems, and integration tooling that make complex assemblies safe, precise, and buildable at scale. By engineering the systems that allow manufacturing, assembly, and testing to run smoothly, the Tooling Group ensures that every milestone on the path to launching Haven-1 is achievable.

Tooling Manufacturing Engineer

As the Tooling Manufacturing Engineer, reporting to the Senior Director of Manufacturing, you will play a hands-on, end-to-end role in building the tools that enable Vast's mission to replace the International Space Station. From owning the fabrication and activation of complex tooling, to driving vendor relationships, to tracking changes across engineering and production, you will ensure that every fixture and system performs as designed and is delivered on time.

Your work will directly support critical lifts, handling operations, and assembly processes that protect high-value spacecraft hardware while enabling efficient build flow. By coordinating with upstream engineers and downstream technicians, you will resolve production issues, introduce improvements, and embed new technologies into our tooling ecosystem. In short, the tools you bring into production are what allow Haven-1 to move from blueprint to on orbit, making your role indispensable to Vast's larger mission of building the world's first artificial-gravity, human-rated space stations.

This will be a full-time exempt position located at Vast's HQ in Long Beach, CA.

In this role, you will

• Own the fabrication and activation of fixtures and tooling required for Haven-1 assembly, lifting, and handling
• Collaborate with tooling engineering and production to define specifications, qualification plans, and transition tooling into production
• Develop operation and maintenance plans for test fixtures and tooling; assist Facilities Managers with project implementation as needed
• Manage schedules on assigned projects, including next steps, deadlines, and deliverables
• Build and manage vendor relationships; coordinate meetings to evaluate new technologies and their application to Vast's programs
• Develop, test, and implement tooling fabrication process improvements to drive time savings
• Coordinate tooling modifications in response to part, production, or design changes
• Track and coordinate engineering changes with upstream and downstream stakeholders
• Oversee and track recovery strategies for non-conformances, issues, or other escapes
• Coordinate with procurement and internal / external stakeholders to ensure hardware and tooling priorities are aligned with need dates
• Partner closely with engineering stakeholders and technicians to resolve production-related issues
• Support continuous improvement initiatives to address program and process gaps

Minimum Qualifications

Preferred Skills & Experience

Additional Requirements

Pay Range

Salary Range : California

$100,000 - $129,360 USD

Compensation and Benefits

Base salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, flexible paid time off, parental leave, disability and life insurance, 401(k), wellness benefits, and meal perks.

Export Compliance & Equal Opportunity

U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS : The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls and must be a U.S. person or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing, as defined by applicable regulations.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY : Vast is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment is based on merit, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced by protected status.

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