Senior Tooling Engineer
Senior Tooling Engineer
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$ 135000 - 170000
1 Vacancy
Job Description
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 worlds first commercial space station when it launches into low earth orbit in May 2026. Our team is all-in committed to executing our mission safely and on you want to work with the most talented people on Earth furthering space exploration for humanity come join us.
Tooling Groups Mission
The Tooling Group is at the core of transforming ambitious spacecraft designs into flight-ready reality. We engineer the fixtures handling equipment lift systems and integration tooling that make complex assemblies safe precise and buildable at scale. Without these tools large structures cannot be lifted delicate assemblies cannot be aligned and mission-critical components cannot be brought together with the precision required for spaceflight. By engineering the systems that allow manufacturing assembly and testing to run smoothly the Tooling Group ensures that every milestone on the path to launching Haven-1the worlds first commercial space station is achievable.
Senior Tooling Engineer Opportunity
As the Senior Tooling Engineer reporting to the Senior Manager of Integration Manufacturing you will play a direct and highly visible role in advancing the Tooling Groups objectives and by extension Vasts mission to build humanitys replacement for the International Space Station.
This is an end-to-end ownership position: from defining requirements with project managers and engineers to modeling and analyzing fixture designs to sourcing suppliers managing RFQs and seeing your tools through fabrication qualification and hands-on use on the integration floor.
Your expertise ensures that the tools are not only functional but robust enough to handle the dynamic loads of large spacecraft hardware while meeting tight timelines and quality standards. By bringing together technical creativity project leadership and hands-on problem-solving your work will directly enable Haven-1 to transition from design to on orbitsupporting a mission of extraordinary importance: keeping humanitys permanent presence in low Earth orbit alive. This will be a full-time exempt position located at Vasts HQ in Long Beach CA.
In this role you will
- Own the design activation implementation and fabrication support of fixtures and tooling required for Haven-1 assembly lifting and handling
- Partner with Integration and Manufacturing teams to define vehicle integration flow manufacturing processes concepts and tooling interfaces
- Collaborate with vehicle engineering and production to define fixture and tooling specifications develop qualification plans and transition tools into production
- Perform mechanical analysis for spacecraft fixtures such as loads & dynamics FEM.
- Develop operation and maintenance plans for all test fixtures and tooling; assist Facilities Managers with project implementation
- Own schedules on assigned projects including critical deadlines and deliverables
- Establish and manage vendor relationships; coordinate meetings to identify and apply new technologies to Vasts applications
- Develop test and implement tooling improvements to drive time savings and/or tighter tolerances
- Coordinate tooling modifications resulting from part production or design changes
- Partner with engineering stakeholders and technicians to resolve production-related issues
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline
- Proficiency with GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing)
- 5 years of experience in aerospace or automotive tooling
- 5 years of experience using NX or other 3D CAD software
- Hands-on experience handling lifting or building large complex assemblies
- Knowledge of project planning and execution practices including logic-linked schedule management
Preferred Skills & Experience
- Experience creating and working from work orders and assembly instructions
- Background in designing pneumatic electrical or hydraulic motion systems
- Experience with critical lifting fixtures and break-over tooling
- Expertise in integration tooling design
- Passion for hardware development and comfort working in a fast-paced hands-on environment
- Strong communication and collaboration skills
Additional Requirements
- Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones
- Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted
Pay Range
Senior Tooling Engineer: $135000 $170000
Salary Range: California
$135000 - $170000 USD
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
Required Experience:
Senior IC
Employment Type
Full Time
