Assembly Integration & Test Engineer, Satellites

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure using an incremental, hardware-rich, and low-cost approach. Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules. Additionally, the company recently announced Vast Satellite, a high-power satellite product line leveraging its space station components and the heritage of Haven Demo.

Headquartered in Long Beach, California, and with more than 1,000 employees and over a billion dollars in private capital, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats and systems for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy.

This is the founding Assembly, Integration & Test Engineer position for the satellites vertical. The team has two openings available at L2, Senior, or Staff level. You will not be inheriting a factory, a set of procedures, or a test stand — you will be building them. You own how a Vast satellite gets physically built, integrated, and proven flightworthy, from the first development unit through a production line that has to turn out flight hardware at rate.

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

If you want to define how spacecraft get built at a company rather than execute someone else's definition of it, this is that job.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities:

Integration & Test

• Lead and own integration and test campaigns at every level of spacecraft development — component, box, subsystem, and full vehicle

• Define the test philosophy for the bus: what gets acceptance tested, what gets protoqualified, what qualifies by similarity, and how that philosophy holds up as we move from a one-off development unit to rate production

• Develop acceptance, qualification, and R&D test plans for spacecraft systems, and drive them through execution and closure

• Work with systems and subsystems leads to defining requirements and the verification and validation plans that close them

• Develop, maintain, and operate environmental test systems — random vibration, TVAC, thermal cycling, EMI/EMC, mass properties

• Design, build, and maintain mechanical and electrical ground support equipment (MGSE/EGSE) and the facilities that house it

• Interface with ground test software, implement flight software configuration changes for test, and work hands-on with hardware-in-the-loop test systems

• Own test data: what we record, how it's reviewed, what constitutes a pass, and how results get back to the responsible engineer

Assembly & Manufacturing

• Partner with Design Engineering to drive Design for Manufacture and Design for Test into the bus while the design is still moving — access, fastener reach, connector orientation, test point availability, handling and lift points

• Design, procure, install, and validate assembly, test, and verification processes, including the tooling, fixtures, and work instructions behind them

• 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 the path forward — containment, risk mitigation, and root cause resolution

• Drive process improvements across manufacturing, test, and integration, with an explicit eye toward repeatability across many identical vehicles

• Contribute to change management, assessing the risk and impact of design or process changes on build and test

• Plan and specify the integration facility footprint as the program scales — clean room, integration bay, test cell, and the flow between them

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline

• 8+ 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 the 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 come together at the vehicle level

• Experience with multi-unit or constellation builds, where the integration flow has to be repeatable across 10+ identical vehicles rather than optimized for one

• 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 our 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 the launch site

Pay Range: California

$112,340—$230,472 USD

We calibrate level and compensation to the selected candidate's experience and demonstrated capability. We welcome applicants across a range of experience levels to apply.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITSBase salary will vary depending 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, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITYVast 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.