Staff Thermal Engineer

United States·Long Beachlead

OtherThermal Engineer

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Quick Summary

Key Responsibilities

Develop thermal systems

Technical Tools

OtherThermal Engineer

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 Staff Thermal Engineer, reporting to the Senior Manager, Thermal Analysis, 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, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities

~1 min read

→Develop thermal systems requirements
→Perform thermal analysis to develop and optimize thermal control designs and provide solutions to a wide range of difficult problems
→Coordinate and partner with other engineering disciplines
→Document thermal analyses and designs
→Review and approve drawings for thermal design hardware content
→Report results of analyses and design specifics to internal management and external customers
→Work with test engineering to plan and execute subsystem level thermal tests, especially thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC) testing, as well as perform associated analyses
→Provide feedback regarding impacts of possible cost and/ or schedule changes

Requirements

~1 min read

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or related Engineering discipline with a minimum of 10+ years of related professional work experience, or a Master's degree in a related engineering discipline and 5+ years of experience
Knowledge and understanding of the application of technical principles, theories, and concepts for developing active thermal control systems
Expert with thermal analysis tool: Thermal Desktop
Extensive experience with TVAC testing

Nice to Have

~2 min read

Design, analysis and integration experience of spacecraft thermal systems
Experience using other thermal analysis tools (FloCAD, Ansys Mechanical, SINDA/G, SINDA/FLUINT, TSS)
Experience using fluid analysis tools like Ansys Fluent, FloEFD, StarCCM+
Experience using aerospace standard design tools (NX, CATIA, CREO)
Experience with space vehicle thermal design and/or integration
Experience with active and passive thermal control systems and technologies (pumped fluid loops, heat pipes, etc.))
Spacecraft and/or Payload background with experience through the entire system lifecycle from concept, design, production, integration, test, launch, to operation support
Ability to develop novel concepts for active thermal control systems for space habitats

Pay Range: California

$159,100—$205,800 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, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, 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 & onsite barista, 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.

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.

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.