Senior Manager, Ground Segment Engineering

At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. We are building artificial gravity space stations, allowing long-term stays in space without the adverse effects of zero-gravity. Our initial crewed space habitat will be Haven-1, scheduled to be the world’s first commercial space station when it launches into low earth orbit in August 2025. 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.

Vast is looking for a Senior Manager, Ground Segment Engineering, reporting to the Director, Ground Segment & Mission Operations, to support the development of the systems that will be required to communicate with artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

In this role you will contribute to all phases of ground segment system development, from initial concept to the operation and support of Vast’s on-orbit missions. The Ground Segment team builds ground stations, selects and integrates ground stations from our partner networks, and works on console in mission operations. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in the design and build of electrical, mechanical, and RF systems, and exceptional leadership and communication skills.

Responsibilities:

Recruit, retain and empower a diverse team of engineers to design and build next-generation ground station networks for the Haven vehicle program

Set and lead team strategy and drive overall results against business objectives

End-to-end ownership of ground segment system including provider relationships, testing, networking, and ground station design/build/maintenance

Lead trade studies for ground segment assets and review technical proposals for their selection

Oversee operations of Telemetry Tracking and Command (TT&C) ground stations supporting our on-orbit vehicles

Lead the build out of our ground station systems through all phases from site acquisition, frequency license approval (in collaboration w/ legal and RF teams), installation, hardware integration, testing, calibration to operations

Oversee the health and status of the ground station network during the launch and early orbit phase of spacecraft operations

Work closely with the Ground Software team to integrate telemetry and telecommand data to and from ground stations with Vast mission operations software systems

Design and build ground infrastructure for mission operations voice systems

Rigorously test the communications interface between both our ground station and vehicle test hardware and ground station and ground software systems

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical, Aerospace, or Software Engineering, or related field

10 years of experience in the aerospace or similar industry designing, building, and operating communications systems

5+ years of experience with RF tools and equipment such as Receivers, Front-End Processors, Spectrum Analyzers, VNAs, Power Meters, Cable Analyzers, SDRs, etc.

5+ years of experience building and managing teams to deliver on a technical vision and strategy

Preferred Skills and Experience:

Masters Degree in an engineering discipline

Fundamental skills needed to design and build electrical, mechanical, and RF systems

Ability to creatively solve problems and bring multiple disciplines together while assessing risk and making design and development decisions with incomplete data sets

Strong sense of accountability and integrity with excellent written and verbal communication skills

Comprehensive knowledge and experience with the Linux operating system

Familiarity with GNU Radio or similar software

Proficiency in working with softwre-defined radios (SDRs)

Extensive experience in using sectrum and vector network analyzers for RF testing and troubleshooting

Demonstrated expertise in systems integration and complex systems debugging

Strong grasp of electronics and RF theory, and hands-on experience with electronics hardware, including both analog and digital

Experience with programming & scripting: Matlab, Python, C/C++, JS, etc

Experience with full-lifecycle product development

Solid understanding of telemetry systems

Capability to manage complex projects, including experience leading technical teams through all phases from concept to completion.

Superior communication skills, both verbal and written

Previous involvement with antenna design, radio frequency (RF) systems, and ground station operations

Prior work on large scale, high reliability systems

Knowledge of RF demodulation, decommutation, FEC and CRC decoding, IRIG or CCSDS decoding techniques, Best-Source Selecting, for use in RF receiving front-end systems

Understanding of signal processing - Nyquist, sampling rates, data decimation

Additional Requirements:

Must be willing to travel as required to domestic and international ground station sites (< 25%)

Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends when necessary to support launch and mission operations efforts

Salary Range: California

$135,000—$200,000 USD

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

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: 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, flexible paid time off for exempt staff and up to 15 days of vacation for non-exempt staff, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, free catered meals and snacks and beverages, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, One Medical membership, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks.

U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS 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 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 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.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

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.