Staff Ground Segment Engineer, Mission Systems

Vast is looking for a Staff Ground Segment Engineer, Mission Systems, reporting to the Director, Ground Software & Mission Systems, to support the development of the systems that will be required to fly artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. This engineer will work cross-functionally with Ground Software, Mission Operations, IT, Safety & Mission Assurance, and Facilities to design, evaluate, and build the critical systems necessary to support real-time operations of all of our missions.

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

Responsibilities: 

• Design, provision, maintain, and operate resources in AWS and mission critical networks
• Design, build, and maintain mission-critical voice and video systems communication systems
• Configure servers for ground systems such as Ground Stations, Ground Station Emulators, communications systems, and mission-partner infrastructure
• Work on console in mission operations monitoring critical systems prepared to resolve issues quickly and safely
• Conduct trade studies to select mission systems
• Conduct Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) to ensure system design meets fault-tolerance requirements for human-rated space systems
• Collaborate with Mission Operations team to write procedures for the operation of systems in both nominal and off-nominal scenarios
• Conduct Verification & Validation to ensure critical systems meet the necessary requirements
• Collaborate closely with the InfoSec team to ensure the security, integrity, and high-availability of all systems
• Implement system monitoring and observability tools to ensure awareness of system health and promote preventative maintenance

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, Communications Systems, or other engineering discipline
• 5+ years experience with computer networking including ethernet, MAC, IP, TCP/UDP, VLANs, subnets, BGP, VPNs, SD-WAN, and firewalls

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience with facilities in aerospace industry including familiarity with industry regulations (ITAR, EAR, CMMC, NIST 800-171, FedRAMP) and processes (requirements, verification & validation, FMECA, risk assessment)
• Familiarity with RF communication systems, especially those used for satellite communications
• Familiarity with power systems including backup generators, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and automatic transfer switches (ATS)
• Experience with physical layout design
• Experience designing and operating mission-critical systems and infrastructure
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment
• Ability to make independent judgments with limited information
• Communication skills for relaying data (verbally and in-writing) between other employees, vendors, and customers
• Comfortable working in a high-stress environment balancing several projects at any given time, and the flexibility to adjust for abrupt changes in strategic direction.

Additional Requirements:

• Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones
• Ability to lift up to 25lbs unassisted