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Vast

Mechanical Engineering, Structures

Location

Long Beach, CA

Wage

$86,100 – $122,220/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

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Posted on October 12, 2026

Job Description

Overview

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and infrastructure, focusing on a low-cost approach to enable continuous human presence in space. The company is looking for a Mechanical Engineer, Structures, to design and develop systems for its human-rated space stations.

Responsibilities

  • Own the design of primary and secondary structures for a large-scale space station.
  • Apply knowledge of static and dynamic loads, vibration, thermal, and other environments to drive design decisions.
  • Perform mechanical design and analysis, and release manufacturing drawings, test plans, and concepts of operations.
  • Lead trade studies and own interfaces and interface control documents with other subsystems.
  • Own requirements verification through test, analysis, inspection, or demonstration.
  • Lead structural testing and qualification.
  • Follow hardware through fabrication, assembly, and test, working with fabricators and technicians.

Requirements

  • B.S. in mechanical, aerospace, or civil engineering, physics, mathematics, or a related technical field.
  • 2+ years of experience designing and developing mechanical components or systems.
  • 2-4+ years of experience for Mechanical Engineer II.
  • 4-6+ years of experience for Senior Mechanical Engineer.
  • Proficiency with 3D CAD and FEA software packages.
  • Experience implementing and analyzing GD&T per ASME Y14.5.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • This is a full-time, exempt position located in Long Beach, CA.
  • Willingness to work evenings and/or 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 $50/hr, this posting sits about 16% above the $43/hr median for welding jobs in Long Beach, CA — toward the top of a $30–$54/hr middle band drawn from 34 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 62% 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 43 other active welding openings in Long Beach, CA right now, from 17 different employers. 12 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 594 other active welding openings from 272 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 9 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 (37), Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (17), and Honeywell Aerospace (16). 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 Pasadena at $51/hr, Santa Ana at $48/hr, and El Segundo at $48/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • ASME Section IX — the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code qualification. It covers welding on pressure-retaining equipment — boilers, vessels, and process piping — where a failed weld is a safety incident rather than a rework ticket.

Read straight from this posting's text. Confirm the exact qualification the employer wants before you test — requirements vary by shop even under the same code.

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. Mechanical Engineering, Structures figures were last recalculated when this page was built.