Senior Automation & Controls Engineer

Confirmed live in the last 24 hours

Vast

Compensation

$121,100 - $183,260/year

Long Beach, California, United States

On-site

Posted March 25, 2026

Job Description

At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next-generation space stations 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. Using an incremental, hardware-rich and low-cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. 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, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. 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 Senior Automation & Controls Engineer reporting to the Sr. Manager, Controls & Automation, 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.

Responsibilities:

Own architecting the automated test framework for Vast overall, and lead the implementation of cross-functional testing across the company
Adhere to, enforce, and improve the test processes and good practices of Vast and the test organization
Own design, build, and commission facilities, and vehicle level DAQ systems. This includes the manufacture of new test stands and/or operation of existing resources
Work with responsible engineers to design, prepare, and execute test campaigns. This includes the manufacture of new test stands and/or operation of existing resources
Perform all necessary design, analysis, and project management
Conduct PDR (Preliminary Design Review) and/or CDR (Critical Design Review) and TRR (Test Readiness Review) before all design/tests are started
Collaborate with other engineers, subject matter experts, and technicians to creatively solve complex fluid system problems to save cost and schedule while improving overall quality and safety
Document and provide resolution to non-conformances and collaborate with the quality team to implement root cause corrective actions
Mentor other engineers and technicians on the team

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in electrical, computer, mechanical, manufacturing, aerospace, similar field
5+ years of related engineering experience
5+ years of experience in one or more languages (Python, C#, C++, JS, ST, etc.)
Experience with software product development. Full lifecycle experience preferred.
Front end development experience (React, Angular, NiceGui, etc)

Preferred Skills & Experience:

Experience working with PLC hardware and Software i.e. Beckhoff, Allen Bradley, CodeSys, or NI; Beckhoff preferred
Experience planning and executing engineering operations in a time-sensitive and high-risk environment.
Familiarity with CI/CD in an industrial environment.
Hands on hardware integration and testing experience
Working knowledge of supporting engineering skills (wire harnessing, electrical diagrams, signal processing)
Experience writing and executing test plans/procedures in collaboration with design engineers and providing go/no-go judgment and rationale
Experience with designing and implementing instrumentation systems
Experience working across engineering groups to define requirements and implement solutions
Experience with SVN, GIT, or other version management systems
Experience with JIRA and/or Confluence

Additional Requirements: