{"id":2620945,"url":"https://alion.io/job/vastspace-senior-buyer-machining","title":"Senior Buyer, Machining","company":{"id":185145,"name":"Vast Space","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":83,"open_postings":61,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.689,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":49,"computed_at":"2026-10-29T05:49:05Z"}},"role":"Operations","role_family":"Operations","seniority":"senior","employment_type":null,"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":105000,"max":150000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":150000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2025-03-28T15:37:10Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-20","last_verified_at":"2026-10-30T02:22:17Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":580,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":579},"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 Sr. Buyer, Machining, reporting to the Director of Supply Chain, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.\nThis will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.\nResponsibilities: \nDevelop category specific strategies for the machining supply base to deliver high quality and low cost solutions for Vast Engineering and Manufacturing Customers\nStrong understanding of machining processes, including CNC milling, CNC turning, multi-axis machining, complex assemblies, special processes, and inspection requirements\nExperience sourcing tight-tolerance, low-volume/high-mix, prototype, development, or production machined hardware\nInterpret engineering drawings, CAD models, and technical specifications to ensure suppliers have the necessary capabilities.\nEnd-to-End Commodity Management: Manage assigned commodities from demand to contract fulfillment.\nStrategic & Tactical Execution: Apply sourcing and supplier management expertise across all organizational levels.\nSupply Base Development: Optimize the supply base to meet long-term program needs.\nCost and Risk Reduction Strategy: Develop strategies to reduce total cost, lead time, and supply chain risk.\nSupplier Research & Negotiation: Conduct market research, assess suppliers, issue RFQs/RFPs, and lead contract negotiations.\nIntegrated Sourcing Strategy: Align sourcing with program, customer, product lifecycle, and in-service support strategies.\nSupplier Performance Management: Oversee supply/demand planning, schedule adherence, quality, on-time delivery, and cost for suppliers.\nSupplier Development & Improvement: Lead supplier improvement initiatives and integrate results into strategies.\nValue Engineering & Cost Analysis: Drive value engineering, BOM cost breakdowns, and should-cost analysis.\nSeek alternate and innovative ideas to provide business solutions, challenge requirements and specifications to create competitive advantage\nMinimum Qualifications:\n5 years in a Procurement role, 3 years in aerospace industry and/or manufacturing\nBachelor of Science degree in Business, Engineering or Business-related field\nPreferred Skills & Experience:\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\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\nAbility to balance multiple priorities with ambiguous instructions\nAdditional Requirements:\nAbility to travel up to 20% of the time\nWillingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones\nPay Range: \nSenior Buyer, Machining: $105,000 - $150,000\nPay Range: California\n$105,000—$150,000 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":6486,"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":["Manufacturing","Space & Aerospace","Aerospace Manufacturing","Satellite Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-15T13:23:20Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":6,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.203,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":579,"expected_fill_days":49,"reasons":["conf:1","stale_co","velocity","win:tail","crowd:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-29T05:49:05Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":150000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/vastspace-senior-buyer-machining","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/vastspace-senior-buyer-machining.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-30T02:56:58Z","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":3860,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-31T00:00:00Z"}},"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-senior-buyer-machining"},{"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-senior-buyer-machining"},{"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-senior-buyer-machining"},{"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-senior-buyer-machining\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvastspace-senior-buyer-machining"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":2620945}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"vastspace.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":2620945},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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