VAST

Structures Design Reliability Engineer

Long Beach, California, United StatesFrom $265.4kmidAdded today

About this role

Vast seeks a Structures Design Reliability Engineer to ensure Haven-1's primary and secondary structures are designed, verified, and validated for safe, reliable operation in space. You'll integrate reliability engineering into the design process, lead FMEA and test planning, and guide design teams from concept through human-rated flight readiness.

What you'll do

Lead Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and drive reliability integration into structures design
Guide design reviews, test plan definition, and verification & validation activities for Haven-1 systems
Architect structures engineering standards, design guides, and review frameworks for the organization
Develop design criteria and requirements supporting Haven-1's design architecture and human-rated operations
Collaborate with hardware teams to ensure manufacturing practices align with design intent and define test methodologies
Build processes ensuring engineering rigor, design compliance, and consistent implementation across teams

What they're looking for

Structural analysis and design (static, dynamic, thermal, environmental loads)
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
Test planning, verification, and validation methodologies
Human-rated systems engineering and reliability principles
Technical leadership and peer review authority
Design standards development and documentation
Risk identification and mitigation in hardware programs
Manufacturing and integration process oversight

Likely interview questions

Describe your experience leading structural design and reliability efforts on complex hardware programs—what was your role in design-to-flight transitions?
Walk us through how you've developed or improved FMEA processes to prevent failures before manufacturing in a past role.

Tell us about a time you identified a critical design risk early in a test campaign and guided your team to a resilient solution.
How do you balance the need for rigorous engineering standards with moving quickly under ambitious program timelines?
What experience do you have developing design criteria and requirements for human-rated or mission-critical systems?
Describe your approach to capturing lessons learned and translating organizational knowledge into lasting engineering standards.
How have you worked with manufacturing teams to ensure build practices align with design intent on large-scale programs?

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