{"id":2620931,"url":"https://alion.io/job/vastspace-pre-sales-engineer","title":"Pre-Sales Engineer","company":{"id":185145,"name":"Vast","domain":"vastspace.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/vastspace","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":59,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-16T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Sales","role_family":"Sales","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Long Beach, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":112000,"max":195000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":195000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-31T23:25:31Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-14","last_verified_at":"2026-10-16T08:51:14Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":45,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":45},"description":"Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure using an incremental, hardware-rich, and low-cost approach. Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules. Additionally, the company recently announced Vast Satellite, a high-power satellite product line leveraging its space station components and the heritage of Haven Demo.\nHeadquartered inLong Beach, California, and with more than 1,000 employees and over a billion dollars in private capital, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats and systems for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy.\nVast is looking for a Pre-Sales Engineer, reporting to the SVP, Satellite Business Development & Commercialization, to support our Satellite Business Development team as the technical bridge between our engineering organization and prospective customers. This role is the trusted technical voice in the room during customer discussions translating system-level engineering tradeoffs (propulsion, payload, power, performance) into terms customers can act on, running and interpreting our proprietary simulation and performance tools to answer real-time technical questions, and representing engineering's perspective in public and customer-facing forums. You'll work closely with system leads across the satellite business and be a key partner to Business Development throughout the sales cycle, from first technical conversation through proposal and close. \nThis will be a full-time, exempt position located in ourLong Beach location\nResponsibilities: \nServe as a trusted technical advisor to prospective and current customers, fielding and answering system-level engineering questions in real time during calls, meetings, and site visits\nRepresent the engineering organization in customer-facing settings, industry conferences, and public speaking engagements, ensuring engineering perspective and technical credibility are present throughout the business development process\nWork closely with system engineering leads across propulsion, payload, and other subsystems to translate technical capability, performance, and constraints into customer-ready material and answers\nOperate and apply Vast's simulation tools to model satellite performance, power dynamics, and other system-level tradeoffs in support of customer proposals and technical discussions\nPartner with Business Development throughout the sales cycle to shape technical proposals, respond to RFIs/RFPs, and ensure proposed solutions are technically sound and achievable\nContribute to the ongoing development and refinement of internal simulation and analysis tools used to support customer-facing technical engagements\nApply AI tools and techniques to accelerate technical analysis, proposal development, and customer-facing deliverables\nMinimum Qualifications:\nBachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or other engineering discipline \nDemonstrated experience partnering with or operating alongside system engineering leads (e.g., propulsion, payload) on complex technical systems\nSome proficiency building or working with simulation/analysis tools evaluating system performance, power dynamics, or similar engineering tradeoffs\nProficiency with AI tools and their application to engineering or analysis workflows\nStrong customer-facing and interpersonal skills; comfortable operating as a trusted technical advisor in front of customers\nExcellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate complex engineering concepts for non-technical or mixed audiences\nAbility to work independently and cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment\nPreferred Skills & Experience:\nExperience with facilities within an aerospace industry\n Familiar with space planning procedures and operations\nKnowledge of computer applications and the ability to easily navigate through different computer software programs\nAbility to create and update request for proposals (RFPs), purchase orders (POs) and facilities work orders in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software\nAbility to work effectively in a team environment\nAbility to make independent judgments with limited information\nCommunication skills for relaying data (verbally and in-writing) between other employees, vendors, and customers\nLogical and strategic approach to solving problems\nAbility to read and understand basic floor plans\nComfortable working in a high-stress environment balancing several projects at any given time, and the flexibility to adjust for abrupt changes in strategic direction\nAdditional Requirements:\nAbility to travel up to 50% of the time\nWillingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones\nAbility to lift up to 25lbs unassisted\nSpecific certifications, as appropriate\nPay Range: California\n$112,000—$195,000 USD\nWe calibrate level and compensation to the selected candidate's experience and demonstrated capability. We welcome applicants across a range of experience levels to apply.\nCOMPENSATION AND BENEFITS\n\nBase 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: medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-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, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.\n\nU.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS\n 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.\nEQUAL OPPORTUNITY\nVast 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.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7604,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Life insurance","Parental leave","Retirement plans"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Space & Aerospace"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-15T13:23:20Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":13,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.37,"p_room":0.36,"age_days":45,"expected_fill_days":26,"reasons":["conf:1","stale_co","win:tail","crowd:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-16T05:45:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":195000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/vastspace-pre-sales-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/vastspace-pre-sales-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-16T12:15:54Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":11379,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-17T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":185145},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=185145"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvastspace-pre-sales-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fvastspace-pre-sales-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fvastspace-pre-sales-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/vastspace-pre-sales-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvastspace-pre-sales-engineer"}]}