Production Specialist
Vast · Long Beach, CA
- Level
- Specialist
- Team
- Production
- Travel
- 50%
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- Today
The role in 30 seconds
A specialist production role at Vast (aerospace & defense) in Long Beach, CA. Process Improvement: Lead and support projects that improve production workflows, standardize processes, increase efficiency, and eliminate recurring operational gaps.
- Tools it names
- Welding
- Day to day
- about 50% travel
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Production Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $125k–$175k.
Median of the low and high ends of 60 live postings that list pay, out of 141 production engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 140 other live production postings in California.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $116k–$170k, from 49 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ New product launch 37%
- Lean 30%
- Root cause 28%
- ✓ Team leadership 26%
- Automation 26%
- Python 21%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Welding, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with 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 Production team at Vast
We found 5 people at this company and state: 4 in this kind of role, 1 leaders. 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 Sarven → (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?
- The posting says about 50% travel. Between which sites?
- 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
29 other open roles at this site · 5 people we found in production roles at Vast.
- Controls & Automation Engineer · Controls
- Avionics System Test Operations Engineer · Production
- Senior Supplier Reliability Engineer · Reliability · Senior
- Supplier Reliability Engineer - Metallic Materials & Processes · Reliability
- Additive Manufacturing Specialist · Manufacturing · Specialist
- Build Reliability Engineer - Avionics · Reliability
Full description from VastAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Process Improvement: Lead and support projects that improve production workflows, standardize processes, increase efficiency, and eliminate recurring operational gaps
- ◆Hands-On Training: Develop and implement practical, hands-on training for production technicians to improve technical skills, cross-training, and overall team capability
- ◆Department Support: Work directly with production managers to identify resource, process, and technical gaps, providing hands-on support to improve execution and meet production commitments
- ◆Development and Flight Hardware: Flex between development builds and flight hardware production based on business priorities, understanding the different
requirements
for each environment
- ✓Technical Execution: Apply practical experience in integration,Structures, testing, OTW, rolling, and welding to support production activities, troubleshoot issues, and help resolve technical blockers
- ✓Standardization: Establish and improve work instructions, training materials, best practices, and repeatable processes across production departments
- ✓Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Engineering, Quality, Test, and other support teams to resolve production issues and improve execution
- ✓Operational Flexibility: Pivot between departments, projects, and technical
responsibilities
as priorities change, supporting the organization's most critical needs
- ◆Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to improve technician utilization, reduce bottlenecks, strengthen cross-training, and minimize single points of failure
Qualifications
- ✓Hands-on experience in a manufacturing, aerospace, or hardware production environment
Preferred Skills & Experience
- ✓Experience supporting both development hardware and flight hardware production
- ✓Practical experience in multiple areas, including integration, testing, OTW, rolling, and welding
- ✓Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot technical issues and support production execution
- ✓Experience improving manufacturing processes, work instructions, or standard operating procedures
- ✓Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with technicians, supervisors, managers, and engineering teams
- ✓Ability to adapt to changing priorities and work across multiple departments
- ✓A proactive, self-directed approach to identifying problems and driving solutions
- ✓Experience developing or delivering hands-on technical training
- ✓Experience supporting production readiness, process development, and transition from development builds to flight hardware
- ✓Experience with cross-training, skills matrices, and standard work
- ✓Experience working in integration, test, or other hardware-intensive manufacturing environments
Additional
Requirements
- ✓Ability to travel up to 50% of the time
- ✓Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones
- ✓Ability to lift up to 25lbs unassisted
- ✓Specific certifications, as appropriate
Pay Range: California
$36.88 — $57.20 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(n) Production Specialist , reporting to the Director, Production , to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of human-rated space stations.
This will be a full-time, non-exempt position located in our Long Beach location.