Mission Operations Engineer II - Ground Segment
Vast · Long Beach, CA
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Production
- Travel
- 20%
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 3+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 9 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level production role at Vast (aerospace & defense) in Long Beach, CA. Additionally, the company recently announced Vast Satellite , a high-power satellite product line leveraging its space station components and the heritage of Haven Demo.
- They ask for
- 3+ years · degree required
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage · about 20% travel
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At a glance
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Your game plan for this job
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- 1
Find 2–3 people on the Production team at this site
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply most.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
Ask about the work, not for a referral. We write it for you.
- 3
Have a 15-minute chat
Good questions for this role:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- The posting says about 20% travel. Between which sites?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
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- 5
Bring proof to the interview
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About the role
Responsibilities
- ◆Take extreme ownership of large impact initiatives working with engineers across disciplines to support the development of spacecraft operations & ground operations procedures, flight rules, products & processes, culminating in the safe & successful operations of a newly launched spacecraft
- ◆Provide technical and operational leadership as the operations expert in planning for and execution of pre-flight testing and checkouts of ground systems to ensure spacecraft and ground systems are ready for flight
- ◆Assist with performing the operations of Vast’s crewed and uncrewed missions for vehicle commissioning, on-orbit operations, anomaly resolution and final deorbit of the spacecraft
- ◆Perform deep-dive analysis of vehicle & ground system telemetry and deliver informed summaries as well as recommendations to mission stakeholders for further review & analysis
- ◆Formulate and lead the execution of workflows facilitating improvements to processes & systems with a focus on advancing Vast’s Mission Operations while maintaining Vast’s commitment to excellence
- ◆Help strategize plans for and contribute to efforts to iteratively improve the Mission Systems, Mission Operations Software and other ground processes and collaborate with the Mission Systems Engineering & Ground Software Engineering teams to implement them
- ◆Work closely with Mission Management to ensure customer
requirements
are translated to a Concept of Operations that balances all needs
- ✓Assist and support peer Mission Operations Engineers, offering helpful input or specific items for consideration as informed by anecdotal experiences and operational best practices
Qualifications
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, software engineering, or other engineering discipline
- ✓3+ years of experience in the operation of complex systems
- ✓Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with other engineering disciplines
- ✓Demonstrated ability to to critically think in high stress environments and rapidly evolving situations
- ✓Ability to disseminate critical engineering & technical information effectively and clearly
- ✓Strong verbal and written communication skills
- ✓Willing to support 24/7 operations during operationally intense mission phases
Preferred Skills & Experience
- ✓Experience in human spaceflight mission operations
- ✓Master’s of science degree in a technical field
- ✓1+ years working in a spacecraft design, build, and test environment
- ✓Technical knowledge in spacecraft systems engineering (avionics, propulsion, attitude control, communications, orbital mechanics, life support systems, thermal and power control systems)
- ✓Technical knowledge in Space-to-Ground Communication Systems (RF, Ground Stations, Modems, Antenna Systems)
- ✓Experience building or designing from scratch a system, process and team to perform complex operations of an aerospace system (launch vehicle, satellite, crew capsule)
- ✓Software Engineering Skills (C++, Golang, Javascript, React, Software Architecture, Databases, Cloud)
- ✓Matlab or Python/Octave Proficiency
- ✓Proficient at using the command line and scripting languages
- ✓Strong Technical Writing skills
- ✓Strong mentorship and leadership skills
Additional
Requirements
- ✓Ability to travel up to 20% of the time
- ✓Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones
- ✓Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted
Pay Range: California
$110,000 — $195,000 USD
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 Mission Operations Engineer II - Ground Segment , reporting to the Lead Mission Operations Engineer, Mission Systems, to support planning and execution of Vast missions.
At Vast, Mission Operations Engineers are responsible for the planning and successful execution of our spacecraft missions. They work cross functionally with engineers from other disciplines from the very early stages of spacecraft design through on-orbit decommissioning. The Mission Operations Engineer - Ground Segment is responsible for designing systems as well as authoring procedures to operate both the spacecraft as well as supporting ground systems, ensuring harmonious communications & operations between the spacecraft and ground, and ensuring the integrity and validity of commands sent to and telemetry received from the spacecraft.
This will be a full-time , exempt position located in our Long Beach location.