Senior Software Engineer, Backend

<div class="content-intro"><p>At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next-generation space stations 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. Using an incremental, hardware-rich and low-cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. 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, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. 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.</p></div><p>Vast is looking for a <strong>Senior Software Engineer</strong>, <strong>Backend</strong> reporting to the<strong> Senior Manager, Software Engineering </strong>to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.</p> <p>This will be a <strong>full-time</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>exempt </strong>position located in our&nbsp;<strong>Long Beach</strong>&nbsp;location.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Responsibilities:&nbsp;</strong></p> <ul> <li>Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services, tools, and pipelines supporting mission-critical security systems.</li> <li>Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to design and implement secure, high-performance services and APIs.</li> <li>Develop and maintain backend infrastructure for authentication, authorization, and secure data handling.</li> <li>Establish and promote best practices for backend architecture, security, and code quality at scale.</li> <li>Build systems that are reliable, observable, and capable of supporting a rapidly growing codebase and engineering team.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Minimum Qualifications:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.</li> <li>6+ years of backend software engineering experience, with exposure to security-focused systems (e.g., IAM, API security, certificate management).</li> <li>Strong experience building and operating backend services in cloud environments.</li> <li>Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (Python, Go, Rust, C++, etc.).</li> <li>Solid understanding of distributed systems, API design, and backend architecture.</li> <li>Experience working in Linux environments, including command line and scripting.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Preferred Skills &amp; Experience:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Experience solving ambiguous, complex backend problems in fast-paced environments.</li> <li>Familiarity with DevOps practices and tools (Docker, Kubernetes).</li> <li>Experience designing and scaling APIs and microservices.</li> <li>Background in one or more security domains (e.g., cryptography, network security, infrastructure security).</li> <li>Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across teams.</li> <li>Ownership mindset with a bias toward action and continuous improvement.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Additional Requirements:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Ability to travel up to 10% of the time.</li> <li>Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones.</li> <li>Ability to lift up to 25lbs unassisted.</li> <li>Specific certifications, as appropriate.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Pay Range:&nbsp;</strong></p> <ul> <li>Senior Software Engineer, Enterprise Applications: $159,000 - $226,000</li> <li>Staff Software Engineer, Enterprise Applications: $188,600 - $267,000</li> </ul><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">Pay Range: California</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$159,000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$267,000 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><div style="line-height: 1;"><strong>COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS</strong></div> <div style="line-height: 1;">&nbsp;</div> <div style="line-height: 1;"> <div> <div data-qa="message_pane"> <div> <div id="message-list"> <div id="message-list"> <div data-qa="slack_kit_scrollbar"> <div> <div data-qa="slack_kit_list"> <div id="message-list_1770163429.476589" data-qa="virtual-list-item" data-item-key="1770163429.476589"> <div data-qa="message_container" data-qa-unprocessed="false" data-qa-placeholder="false" data-msg-ts="1770163429.476589" data-msg-channel-id="D1T52LDR4"> <div data-qa-hover="true"> <div> <div> <div> <div data-qa="message_content"> <div> <div data-qa="message-text"> <div data-qa="block-kit-renderer"> <div> <div> <div>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, 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 &amp; 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.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="message-list_bottomSpacer" data-qa="virtual-list-item" data-item-key="bottomSpacer"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div> <div>&nbsp;</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div style="line-height: 1;"> <p><strong>U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS</strong></p> 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 <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-22/section-120.62">22 C.F.R. § 120.62</a> 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.</div> <div style="line-height: 1;">&nbsp;</div> <p style="line-height: 1;"><strong>EQUAL OPPORTUNITY</strong></p> <div style="line-height: 1;">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.</div></div>