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 &amp; 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">&mdash;</span><span>$145,500 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><div style="line-height: 1;"> </div> <div style="line-height: 1;"><strong>COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS</strong></div> <div style="line-height: 1;"> </div> <div style="line-height: 1;"> <div> <div data-qa="message_pane"> <div> <div id="message-list"> <div id="message-list"> <div data-qa="slack_kit_scrollbar"> <div> <div data-qa="slack_kit_list"> <div id="message-list_1770163429.476589" data-qa="virtual-list-item" data-item-key="1770163429.476589"> <div data-qa="message_container" data-qa-unprocessed="false" data-qa-placeholder="false" data-msg-ts="1770163429.476589" data-msg-channel-id="D1T52LDR4"> <div data-qa-hover="true"> <div> <div> <div> <div data-qa="message_content"> <div> <div data-qa="message-text"> <div data-qa="block-kit-renderer"> <div> <div> <div>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 &amp; 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.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="message-list_bottomSpacer" data-qa="virtual-list-item" data-item-key="bottomSpacer"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div> <div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div style="line-height: 1;"> <p><strong>U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS</strong></p> 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.</div> <div style="line-height: 1;"> </div> <p style="line-height: 1;"><strong>EQUAL OPPORTUNITY</strong></p> <div style="line-height: 1;">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.</div></div>