Mechanical Engineer II, Life Support Systems

Responsibilities

• Own the design and development of the environmental and thermal control systems for our artificial-gravity space station, from initial design trades to fully functional and validated system.
• Iterate on manufacturing processes and development testing in a fast-paced environment.
• Own the project delivery timeline from early design through production, launch, and orbit insertion.
• Perform systems engineering tasks and fluid analyses.
• Lead design reviews internally and externally with suppliers and customers.
• Work with interdisciplinary stakeholders to ensure the component will integrate with the necessary avionics, software, and mission operations systems.
• Make sure that all designs are manufacturable and reliable.
• Bring technical excellence to everything you do.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering or science discipline.
• 2+ years of experience working with fluid or environmental control systems or components.
• 3+ years of hands-on hardware experience performing fabrication, assembly and/or testing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in an engineering discipline.
• Proactive problem-solving skills such as failure analysis, root cause investigation, and design of experiment creation.
• Ability to perform trade studies using first principles and engineering fundamentals to make clear recommendations even with partial information.
• Experience with rotating machinery.
• Experience with soft goods.
• Experienced in NX.
• Solid understanding and application of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and tolerance stack-up analysis.
• Experience with structural analysis methods (hand calcs, FEMAP, ANSYS) in order to optimize hardware to strength requirements as well as to evaluate for life and fracture.
• Knowledge of metallic and fluid system manufacturing techniques, processes, equipment, and other processes such as machining, welding, brazing, tube bending, etcetera.
• Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment, including frequent interactions with technicians, other engineers, and managers.
• Highly self-motivated with strong organizational and written/oral communication skills - able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment with the ongoing drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of work.

Pay Range

• Life Support System Engineer II: $112,300 - $159,460

Pay Range

California $112,300—$159,460 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 Benefits

Base 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.

U.s. Export Control Compliance Status

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