Back to Jobs

Vast

Mechanisms Engineer

Location

Long Beach, CA

Wage

$112,340 – $230,000/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

Apply for This Position

Posted on November 5, 2026

Job Description

Overview

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and infrastructure with a focus on low-cost, hardware-rich solutions. The company is seeking a Mechanisms Engineer to support the development of space mechanisms for its multi-module Haven Station and future projects.

Responsibilities

  • Develop mechanisms from ideation to flight: design, analyze, build, test, and iterate.
  • Own critical spacecraft hardware/systems, assuming profound responsibility for their hardware.
  • Interface with a world-class production team to ensure successful translation of designs into spacecraft.

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, aerospace, or similar engineering.
  • 2+ years of experience in the design, build, and/or test of mechanisms, structures, valves, or other mechanical systems.
  • Strong understanding of spacecraft and/or launch vehicle mechanisms and mechanical assemblies.
  • Experience in NX/Teamcenter or other CAD packages with a solid understanding of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5.
  • Professional or project experience with FEMAP, ANSYS, or similar finite element analysis (FEA) software tools.
  • Knowledge of metallic manufacturing techniques, processes, and equipment.
  • Good understanding and experience working with aerospace materials.
  • Solid understanding of test methods/setups and data acquisition systems.
  • Ability to perform trade studies using first principles and engineering fundamentals.
  • Passion for advancing the commercial space industry and human spaceflight.
  • Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment.
  • Highly self-motivated with strong organizational and communication skills.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • Full-time, exempt position located in Long Beach, California.
  • Up to 10% travel to remote sites and vendors as needed.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
401k
Apply for This Position

How this job compares in Long Beach, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $82/hr, this posting sits about 71% above the $48/hr median for welding jobs in Long Beach, CA — toward the top of a $34–$54/hr middle band drawn from 37 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 97% 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 42 other active welding openings in Long Beach, CA right now, from 18 different employers. 10 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 486 other active welding openings from 234 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 8 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 (35), Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (17), and Relativity Space (14). 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 Long Beach at $48/hr, El Segundo at $48/hr, and Los Angeles at $44/hr. Long Beach is among them.

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. Mechanisms Engineer figures were last recalculated when this page was built.