Tooling Engineer I
Vast · Long Beach, CA
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 1+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level manufacturing role at Vast (aerospace & defense) in Long Beach, CA. Develop, test, and implement tool improvements to yield time savings or tolerance improvements.
- They ask for
- 1+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- GD&T, Tooling, CATIA / NX
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
How this role compares
Against 277 other live manufacturing postings in California.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (1+ vs 5+)
Typical $109k–$153k, from 101 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Tooling 59%
- ✓ New product launch 54%
- Root cause 45%
- Automation 35%
- ✓ CATIA / NX 34%
- Machining 33%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Vast
We found 2 people at this company and state: 2 on the team. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Joanne → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Vast in Long Beach
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Full description from VastAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Own the design, activation, and implementation, and support fabrication, of fixtures and tooling required for Haven-1 assembly, lifting, and handling.
- ◆Work with Integration and Manufacturing to define vehicle integration flow, manufacturing process, concepts and tooling interfaces.
- ◆Collaborate with vehicle engineering and production to define fixture and tooling specifications, qualification plans, and introduce to production.
- ◆Perform mechanical analysis for spacecraft fixtures.
- ◆Develop operation and maintenance plans for all test fixtures and tooling. Assist the facilities manager(s) in all aspects of project implementation as needed
- ◆Manage schedule on assigned projects including critical next steps, deadlines, and outcome.
- ◆Manage vendor relationships and coordinate meetings to identify new technologies and how they can be applied to Vast’s cutting edge applications.
- ◆Develop, test, and implement tool improvements to yield time savings or tolerance improvements.
- ◆Coordinate tooling modifications related to part, production, or other changes.
- ◆Work closely with engineering stakeholders and technicians to solve production-related issues.
Qualifications
- ✓Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, or other engineering discipline
- ✓Experience with GD&T
- ✓1+ years of experience in aerospace/mechanical/automotive design and/or tooling. (University capstone/competitive projects and prior internship experience may apply)
- ✓1+ years of experience in NX or other 3D CAD packages
- ✓Hands-on experience with handling, lifting, or building engineered assemblies
- ✓Experience making and running FEA models on structural components
- ✓Knowledge of project planning and execution practices, including logic-linked schedule management
- ✓Strong communication skills.
Preferred Skills & Experience
- ✓Experience with work orders and assembly instructions.
- ✓Design of pneumatic, electrical, or hydraulic motion systems.
- ✓Critical lifting and break overs fixtures.
- ✓Integration tooling design
- ✓A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and hands-on design and development.
Additional
Requirements
- ✓Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
- ✓Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted
Pay Range: California
$86,000 — $122,000 USD
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 statu
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
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.
Vast is looking for a Tooling Engineer , reporting to the Senior Manager of Tooling, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.
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.