Mechanical Engineer, Interiors

Vast is looking for a Mechanical Engineer, Interiors, reporting to the Manager, Structures Design, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location. 

As an Interior Mechanical Engineer on our Structures team, you’ll design, engineer, test, and produce soft goods (textiles, closeouts, cargo packaging and restraint systems, upholstery, coverings, bedding, etc.) for human occupied modules. You will work closely with industrial designers, human factors, structural, and structural engineering to ensure these components are safe, comfortable, durable, manufacturable, and compatible with space habitat constraints.You will own major subsystem deliverables, from early concept through qualification, ensuring that materials and designs meet performance, safety, weight, volume, and maintainability requirements. You will need to balance competing constraints (mass, reliability, serviceability, safety, cost, manufacturability) under deep uncertainty and tight schedules.

Responsibilities: 

• Work cross functionally to define requirements for interior subsystems according to habitat architecture and crew use.
• Work with the design team to select and validate materials: textiles, foams, fabrics, coatings, insulation, etc., considering off‑gassing, flame resistance, thermal cycling, wear, cleaning/sterilization, etc.
• Create and iterate designs: sketching, CAD, prototyping, physical mockups, build fabrication, lab testing.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to ensure integration: attachment details, interfaces, anchoring, interfaces with rigid structures, loads in dynamic and static cases.
• Develop test plans, test fixtures, qualification test campaigns, and perform or oversee testing (mechanical loads, fatigue, abrasion, environmental exposure).
• Work with suppliers and manufacturing to translate designs into manufacturable products, specify tolerances, quality assurance, inspections.
• Document design decisions, analysis, drawings, specifications; maintain material tracker.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Mechanical Engineering, or related engineering discipline.
• Relevant mechanical design engineering project experience on a university or professional level
• 2+ years experience with CAD and FEA software packages.
• Engineering fundamentals in problem solving & strong hands-on skills.
• Excellent communication skills; ability to synthesize inputs across teams (industrial design, human factors, structural, safety, manufacturing).
• Comfort working in ambiguity; ability to move fast, take ownership, and deliver under tight schedule constraints.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• 3‑5 years of engineering experience with soft goods, textiles, or fabric structures — ideally in aerospace, vehicle interiors, safety equipment.
• Knowledge of soft good manufacturing processes (upholstery, coating, laminates, bonding, sewing, foam routing).
• Experience with environmental qualification (structural, thermal cycling, radiation, UV).

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel (supplier / vendor visits) occasionally (< 10‑15%) and willingness to support hands‑on build / installation / field test as needed.

Pay Range: 

• Mechanical Engineer II: $110,000 - $142,100
• Senior Mechanical Engineer: $135,800 - $176,400