Senior Tooling Engineer

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's 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.  Without these tools, large structures cannot be lifted, delicate assemblies cannot be aligned, and mission-critical components cannot be brought together with the precision required for spaceflight.  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—the world’s first commercial space station is achievable.  

Senior Tooling Engineer Opportunity
As the Senior Tooling Engineer, reporting to the Senior Manager of Integration Manufacturing, you will play a direct and highly visible role in advancing the Tooling Group’s objectives and, by extension, Vast’s mission to build humanity’s replacement for the International Space Station. 

This is an end-to-end ownership position: from defining requirements with project managers and engineers, to modeling and analyzing fixture designs, to sourcing suppliers, managing RFQs, and seeing your tools through fabrication, qualification, and hands-on use on the integration floor. 

Your expertise ensures that the tools are not only functional, but robust enough to handle the dynamic loads of large spacecraft hardware while meeting tight timelines and quality standards.  By bringing together technical creativity, project leadership, and hands-on problem-solving, your work will directly enable Haven-1 to transition from design to on orbit—supporting a mission of extraordinary importance: keeping humanity’s permanent presence in low Earth orbit alive. This will be a full-time, exempt position located at Vast's HQ in Long Beach, CA. 

In this role, you will 

• Own the design, activation, implementation, and fabrication support of fixtures and tooling required for Haven-1 assembly, lifting, and handling
• Partner with Integration and Manufacturing teams to define vehicle integration flow, manufacturing processes, concepts, and tooling interfaces
• Collaborate with vehicle engineering and production to define fixture and tooling specifications, develop qualification plans, and transition tools into production
• Perform mechanical analysis for spacecraft fixtures such as loads & dynamics, FEM.
• Develop operation and maintenance plans for all test fixtures and tooling; assist Facilities Managers with project implementation
• Own schedules on assigned projects, including critical deadlines, and deliverables
• Establish and manage vendor relationships; coordinate meetings to identify and apply new technologies to Vast’s applications
• Develop, test, and implement tooling improvements to drive time savings and/or tighter tolerances
• Coordinate tooling modifications resulting from part, production, or design changes
• Partner with engineering stakeholders and technicians to resolve production-related issues

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline
• Proficiency with GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing)
• 5+ years of experience in aerospace or automotive tooling
• 5+ years of experience using NX or other 3D CAD software
• Hands-on experience handling, lifting, or building large, complex assemblies
• Knowledge of project planning and execution practices, including logic-linked schedule management

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience creating and working from work orders and assembly instructions
• Background in designing pneumatic, electrical, or hydraulic motion systems
• Experience with critical lifting fixtures and break-over tooling
• Expertise in integration tooling design
• Passion for hardware development and comfort working in a fast-paced, hands-on environment
• Strong communication and collaboration skills

Additional Requirements

• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted

Pay Range
Senior Tooling Engineer: $135,000 – $170,000

Salary Range: California

$135,000—$170,000 USD

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: 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, flexible paid time off for exempt staff and up to 10 days of vacation for non-exempt staff, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, One Medical membership, 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, 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.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Vast 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.