Manager, Soft Goods

<div class="content-intro"><p>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.</p></div><p>Vast is looking for a<strong> Manager</strong>,<strong>Soft Goods</strong> reporting to the <strong>VP, Manufacturing</strong>, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.</p>
<p>This will be a <strong>full-time, exempt</strong> position located in our <strong>Long Beach</strong> location.</p>
<h3><strong>Responsibilities:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Lead and mentor a team of soft-goods fabrication technicians and manufacturing engineers.</li>
<li>Conduct daily team meetings to communicate goals, priorities, and expectations.</li>
<li>Coordinate work schedules, staffing, and assignments to optimize productivity and meet program milestones.</li>
<li>Own and improve manufacturing processes for soft goods fabrication, driving efficiency and scalability.</li>
<li>Ensure aerospace industry quality standards are followed and continuously improved.</li>
<li>Implement and oversee quality control measures, including inspection and documentation practices.</li>
<li>Collaborate closely with engineering teams and cross-functional partners to drive process improvements and design for manufacturability (DFM).</li>
<li>Coordinate repairs with maintenance teams in a timely manner to minimize downtime.</li>
<li>Enforce safety protocols within the soft-goods manufacturing environment.</li>
<li>Identify training and development needs for the team and build organizational capability.</li>
<li>Develop and maintain strong relationships with leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.</li>
<li>Ensure purchase orders and production activities are executed accurately with no cost overruns.</li>
<li>Interface with internal customers/end users to define scope of work and ensure requirements are met.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Minimum Qualifications:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.</li>
<li>5–7 years of experience in a manufacturing environment.</li>
<li>3+ years of experience working in a soft-goods manufacturing space.</li>
<li>1–2+ years of experience leading or managing technical teams.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Preferred Skills & Experience:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Proven leadership abilities with a track record of managing and developing teams.</li>
<li>Experience in a manufacturing leadership role within an aerospace or high-reliability environment.</li>
<li>Familiarity with lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies.</li>
<li>Commitment to safety, quality, and adherence to standards.</li>
<li>Ability to analyze data and implement process improvements.</li>
<li>Knowledge of aerospace-grade fabrics and sewing/fabrication processes.</li>
<li>Strong problem-solving skills and ability to make timely decisions.</li>
<li>Effective communication and collaboration skills across engineering and production teams.</li>
<li>Comfortable working in a high-pressure environment with changing priorities.</li>
<li>High attention to detail, strong work ethic, and personal integrity.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Additional Requirements:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones.</li>
<li>Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">Pay Range: California</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$102,000</span><span class="divider">—</span><span>$145,500 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><p style="line-height: 1;"><strong>COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS<br></strong><br>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: 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.</p>
<p style="line-height: 1;"><strong><br>U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS<br><br></strong>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 <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-22/section-120.62">22 C.F.R. § 120.62</a> 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.<br><br></p>
<p style="line-height: 1;"><strong>EQUAL OPPORTUNITY</strong><br><br>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.</p></div>