Senior Life Support Systems Engineer (Eclss)

Vast was founded to expand humanity's frontier into the solar system and beyond. We believe that the next step on that journey is enabling manufacturing and habitation in LEO. We are building artificial gravity space stations to make this a reality. If you want to join a team that builds amazing things with the most talented people on Earth, please reach out.

As a Life Support Systems Engineer at Vast, you will have the opportunity to utilize your knowledge, experience, and creativity to develop novel solutions at the cutting edge of space technology. Our team is developing the necessary hardware to maintain environmental and thermal control as well as support life onboard our artificial-gravity commercial space station. This is a challenging role, as it involves design, analysis, testing, and manufacturing of components that are absolutely critical to the safety of future astronauts and passengers.

Responsibilities

• Own the project delivery timeline from early design through production, launch, and orbit insertion
• Make sure that all designs are manufacturable and reliable
• Bring technical excellence to everything you do
• Own the design and development of the environmental and thermal control systems for our artificial-gravity space station, from initial design trades to fully functional and validated system
• Iterate on manufacturing processes and development testing in a fast-paced environment
• Lead design reviews internally and externally with suppliers and customers
• Perform systems engineering tasks and fluid analyses
• Work with interdisciplinary stakeholders to ensure the component will integrate with the necessary avionics, software, and mission operations systems

Basic Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on hardware experience performing fabrication, assembly and/or testing
• 5+ years of experience working with fluid or environmental control systems or components
• Bachelor's degree in an engineering or science discipline

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to perform trade studies using first principles and engineering fundamentals to make clear recommendations even with partial information
• Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment, including frequent interactions with technicians, other engineers, and managers
• Proactive problem-solving skills such as failure analysis, root cause investigation, and design of experiment creation
• Experience with structural analysis methods (hand calcs, FEMAP, ANSYS) in order to optimize hardware to strength requirements as well as to evaluate for life and fracture
• Knowledge of metallic and fluid system manufacturing techniques, processes, equipment, and other processes such as machining, welding, brazing, tube bending, etcetera
• Solid understanding and application of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and tolerance stack-up analysis
• Highly self-motivated with strong organizational and written/oral communication skills – able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment with the ongoing drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of work
• Master's degree in an engineering discipline
• Experience with rotating machinery
• Experience with soft goods
• Experienced in NX

Itar Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

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.