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Vast

Propulsion Structures Engineer

Location

Long Beach, CA

Wage

$137,760 – $260,000/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

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Posted on September 11, 2026

Job Description

Overview

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and infrastructure with a focus on low-cost and hardware-rich solutions. The company is seeking a Propulsion Structures Engineer to support the design and build of human-rated space stations, contributing to their multi-module Haven Station project and future space endeavors.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as responsible engineer for propulsion mechanical hardware including tubing assemblies, brackets, mounts, and secondary structures.
  • Act as the primary interface between the Propulsion and Structures teams, coordinating loads, interfaces, and design requirements.
  • Perform structural analysis to drive design decisions, covering static and dynamic loads, vibration, thermo-mechanical, and environmental considerations.
  • Conduct mechanical design and analysis, develop manufacturing drawings, test plans, and concepts of operations, and oversee hardware from design release through build and acceptance.
  • Lead trade studies and manage interfaces with adjacent subsystems.
  • Collaborate with fabricators and technicians to enhance designs, mature processes, and resolve build issues.

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, civil engineering, physics, or math or equivalent experience.
  • 4+ years of experience with CAD and FEA software packages.
  • 4+ years of experience designing and developing mechanical components or systems.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • PTO
  • 401k

Additional Information

  • This is a full-time, exempt position located in Long Beach, California.
  • Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends to support critical mission milestones.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
401k
Apply for This Position

How this job compares in Long Beach, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $96/hr, this posting sits about 87% above the $51/hr median for welding jobs in Long Beach, CA — toward the top of a $34–$68/hr middle band drawn from 49 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 100% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. Pay that far above local median usually comes attached to something: a harder cert requirement, travel, night shift, or overtime that isn't really optional. Worth establishing which before you accept.

The local market in Long Beach, CA

We're tracking 56 other active welding openings in Long Beach, CA right now, from 15 different employers. 13 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 574 other active welding openings from 267 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Long Beach, or widen the search to California.

Vast currently has 21 other openings live in California, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in California at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are SpaceX (34), Vast (21), and Relativity Space (20). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within California, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Redondo Beach at $71/hr, Long Beach at $51/hr, and Torrance at $43/hr. Long Beach is among them.

Similar openings near Long Beach, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Propulsion Structures Engineer figures were last recalculated when this page was built.