Mechanical Engineer, Interiors

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 2026. It is part of our stepping stone approach to continuous human presence in LEO. 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.

Vast is looking for a Mechanical Engineer, Interiors, reporting to the Manager, Structures Design, 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.

As an Interior Mechanical Engineer on our Structures team, you’ll design, engineer, test, and produce soft goods (textiles, closeouts, cargo packaging and restraint systems, upholstery, coverings, bedding, etc.) for human occupied modules. You will work closely with industrial designers, human factors, structural, and structural engineering to ensure these components are safe, comfortable, durable, manufacturable, and compatible with space habitat constraints.You will own major subsystem deliverables, from early concept through qualification, ensuring that materials and designs meet performance, safety, weight, volume, and maintainability requirements. You will need to balance competing constraints (mass, reliability, serviceability, safety, cost, manufacturability) under deep uncertainty and tight schedules.

Responsibilities

• Work cross functionally to define requirements for interior subsystems according to habitat architecture and crew use.
• Work with the design team to select and validate materials: textiles, foams, fabrics, coatings, insulation, etc., considering off‑gassing, flame resistance, thermal cycling, wear, cleaning/sterilization, etc.
• Create and iterate designs: sketching, CAD, prototyping, physical mockups, build fabrication, lab testing.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to ensure integration: attachment details, interfaces, anchoring, interfaces with rigid structures, loads in dynamic and static cases.
• Develop test plans, test fixtures, qualification test campaigns, and perform or oversee testing (mechanical loads, fatigue, abrasion, environmental exposure).
• Work with suppliers and manufacturing to translate designs into manufacturable products, specify tolerances, quality assurance, inspections.
• Document design decisions, analysis, drawings, specifications; maintain material tracker.
  
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Mechanical Engineering, or related engineering discipline.
• Relevant mechanical design engineering project experience on a university or professional level
• 2 years experience with CAD and FEA software packages.
• Engineering fundamentals in problem solving & strong hands-on skills.
• Excellent communication skills; ability to synthesize inputs across teams (industrial design, human factors, structural, safety, manufacturing).
• Comfort working in ambiguity; ability to move fast, take ownership, and deliver under tight schedule constraints.
  
  
  

Preferred Skills & Experience

• 3‑5 years of engineering experience with soft goods, textiles, or fabric structures — ideally in aerospace, vehicle interiors, safety equipment.
• Knowledge of soft good manufacturing processes (upholstery, coating, laminates, bonding, sewing, foam routing).
• Experience with environmental qualification (structural, thermal cycling, radiation, UV).
  
  
  

Additional Requirements

Ability to travel (supplier / vendor visits) occasionally (< 10‑15%) and willingness to support hands‑on build / installation / field test as needed.

Pay Range

• Mechanical Engineer II: $110,000 - $142,100
• Senior Mechanical Engineer: $135,800 - $176,400
  
  
  

Salary Range: California

$110,000—$176,400 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.