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 May 2026. 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 Staff UX Engineer, reporting to the Director, Ground Segment & Mission Operations, to build applications and interfaces onboard our Haven-1 spacecraft and in mission operations back on Earth. You are an end to end development unicorn, a self starter who excels at user interface hierarchy, user experience design and can bring designs to life using Figma and React/TypeScript & Storybook. You are a fluent speaker of pixels and pointers. We are looking for a multidisciplinary designer and developer who is up for a challenge and ready to redefine the digital experience in space.
This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.
Responsibilities:
- Design and code intuitive and delightful software user experiences for astronauts, mission operators, and engineers
- Translate components designed by our UX designer and you to component libraries you and other engineers can use to build cohesive front-end software more quickly
- Gather and evaluate user requirements in collaboration with engineers and designers
- Identify and resolve UX issues early in the software development process saving time and resources later
- Illustrate software ideas using storyboards, process flows and sitemaps
- Develop UI mockups and prototypes that clearly illustrate how applications function and what they look like
- Create original graphic designs (e.g. images, sketches and tables)
- Prepare and present rough drafts to internal teams and key stakeholders
- Identify and troubleshoot UX problems (e.g. responsiveness)
- Conduct layout adjustments based on user feedback
- Adhere to style standards on fonts, colors and images
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, human centered design, or STEM discipline; OR 7+ years of professional experience as an engineer
- 5+ years of experience in UX/UI development
- 3+ years of experience with a modern frontend framework (React, Angular, Vue, etc.)
- 1+ years of experience with UI/UX design software (Figma, XD, Sketch/InVision
- Experience juggling multiple projects across various disciplines
- Excellent organizational and communication skills
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment
- Ability to make independent judgments with limited information
- Logical and strategic approach to solving problems
- Portfolio of design/dev projects
Preferred Skills & Experience:
- Proven work experience as a UI/UX Designer or similar role
- Up-to-date knowledge of design software like Storybook, Illustrator, Photoshop, Maze, Mouseflow, or Microsoft Clarity
- Strong communication skills to collaborate with various stakeholders
- Good time-management skills
- 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
- Willingness to travel less than 10% of the time
Salary Range: California
$185,000—$225,000 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 10 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.
Top Skills
What We Do
Vast is developing artificial gravity space stations to expand humanity across the solar system.
Vast’s mission is to enable large populations of humans to live and work in space, permanently.
Our solar system has the resources and room for humanity to thrive and expand without destroying Earth’s biosphere. Unlocking these resources requires in-space infrastructure and industry at an unprecedented scale.
We are building a world-class team to engineer the human experience in space.
Why Work With Us
We're developing artificial gravity space stations to expand humanity across the solar system in order to enable large populations to live and work in space. Not only is what we're working on groundbreaking, but the team prides itself on living by our values of respect, curiosity, action, and excellence making it a lot more fun to achieve our goal.
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