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Vast

Manufacturing Engineering, Structures

Location

Long Beach, CA

Wage

$86,100 – $195,552/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

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Posted on November 10, 2026

Job Description

Overview

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and infrastructure, focusing on a capital-efficient approach to support human presence in space. They are seeking a Manufacturing Engineer, Structures, to aid in the transition of Haven-1 from design to a flight-ready station.

Responsibilities

  • Responsible for the build and inspection process for the assembly of the primary structure.
  • Develop and refine manufacturing processes to meet design and business requirements.
  • Document and standardize welding and other processes, creating and modifying manufacturing planning/work instructions.
  • Collaborate with engineers and technicians to solve large-scale production challenges.
  • Work with design engineers to evaluate designs for manufacturability.
  • Resolve product non-conformances and collaborate with the quality team for corrective actions.
  • Assist teams in identifying and executing upgrades to meet production demands.
  • Develop and refine floor layouts, capacity models, and product flow analysis.

Requirements

  • B.S. in mechanical, aerospace, manufacturing or electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, or a related technical field.
  • Manufacturing experience managing a product across multiple work centers.
  • 2-4+ years of experience for Manufacturing Engineer II.
  • 4-6+ years of experience for Senior Manufacturing Engineer.
  • Hands-on fabrication, assembly, and/or integration experience; CAD proficiency (NX preferred).

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • 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 $68/hr, this posting sits about 38% above the $49/hr median for welding jobs in Long Beach, CA — toward the top of a $35–$61/hr middle band drawn from 34 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 85% 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 19 different employers. 12 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 505 other active welding openings from 240 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 5 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), Relativity Space (18), and Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (13). 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 El Segundo at $53/hr, Los Angeles at $51/hr, and Pasadena at $50/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

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