Senior Finite Element Vehicle Architect
Long Beach · USD 137,760-230,472 · Full-time · Onsite · Posted Oct 1, 2026
At a glance
- Employment
- Full-time
- Workplace
- Onsite
- Location
- Long Beach
- Salary
- USD 137,760-230,472 · Base salary
About the role
- Vast is looking for a Finite Element Vehicle Architect reporting to the Senior Manager, Dynamics and Loads to support the development of systems required for human-rated space stations.
- This role will build, maintain, and manage the vehicle systems-level Finite Element Model of the Haven space station program and oversee future FEA engineering needs across Vast’s product portfolio.
Responsibilities
- Create and maintain FEA models of vehicle level systems and space station program
- Perform structural dynamics analysis that informs structural sizing for strength, mass, and cost optimization
- Collaborate closely with design engineers in dynamics and static analysis methods
- Communicate with design organization to ensure vehicle prediction models match design intent
- Expand company capability in analysis through validating and establishing methods and practices
- Work with hardware owners and test engineering to plan and execute vibration tests, as well as perform supporting analyses
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering (or equivalent)
- Proficiency in commercial FEA software (ie Femap/Nastran, Abaqus, Ansys)
- Strong grasp of structural mechanic fundamentals used for dynamic response prediction (single degree of freedom systems, damping, beam bending)
Preferred qualifications
- Spacecraft and/or Payload background with experience through the entire system lifecycle from concept, design, production, integration, test, launch, to operation support
- Demonstrated expertise with Nastran
- Automation and Workflow Generation for FEA softwares
- Working understanding of a design load cycle and how it relates to analysis and test
- Knowledge of spacecraft analysis and launch load environments and industry standard documents (NASA-STD-5001, SMC-S-016, etc.)
- Establishment of company internal specifications or best practices
Benefits
- Company equity
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents
- Generous paid time off, including up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually
- Paid parental leave
- Short and long-term disability insurance
- Life insurance
- Access to a 401(k) retirement plan
- ClassPass credits
- Personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health
- Free snacks, drip coffee and onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals, plus subsidized lunch
Workplace
- Located in Long Beach, California
Skills
- Femap
- Nastran
- Abaqus
- Ansys
