Vast is hiring: Senior Network Engineer in Long Beach

At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. We are building artificial gravity space stations, allowing long‑term stays without the adverse effects of zero‑gravity. Our initial crewed habitat, Haven-1, will be the world’s first commercial space station, launching into low earth orbit in May 2026. Our team is all‑in, committed to executing our mission safely and on time. If you want to work with the world’s most talented people on Earth, join us.

Vast is looking for a highly skilled Senior Network Engineer, reporting to the Senior Manager, Network Infrastructure to support the development of the systems required for the design and build of artificial‑gravity human‑rated space stations. This full‑time exempt position is located in Long Beach.

Responsibilities

Design, configure, and maintain enterprise network infrastructure, including routing, switching, VPNs, wireless, firewalls, and load balancers across multi‑vendor environments (Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, Arista, Palo Alto, F5).

Build and support Layer 3 campus and data center networks leveraging protocols such as BGP, OSPF, VXLAN / EVPN, and MPLS.

Lead implementation of SD‑WAN, hybrid cloud networking, and secure connectivity solutions (AWS, Azure, GCP).

Deploy and maintain monitoring, logging, and network observability platforms to ensure system health and performance.

Collaborate with architecture and cloud teams to support scalable, resilient designs and cloud migration initiatives.

Participate in the development and enforcement of network standards, documentation, and operational playbooks.

Apply automation tools (e.g., Python, Ansible, Jinja2) to reduce configuration errors and improve operational efficiency.

Serve as escalation point for complex network issues and provide root cause analysis and long‑term remediation plans.

Maintain awareness of emerging technologies, security threats, and industry best practices; proactively make recommendations for improvement.

Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical knowledge‑sharing across the team.

Minimum Qualifications

7+ years of hands‑on experience in network engineering roles supporting large‑scale enterprise or service provider environments.

Deep understanding of Layer 2 / 3 networking, including VLANs, STP, HSRP / VRRP, BGP, OSPF, QoS, and multicast.

Experience with modern data center and campus fabrics using VXLAN, EVPN, and spine‑leaf architectures.

Proven expertise in configuring and supporting firewalls, VPNs, and remote access technologies.

Practical experience with hybrid cloud or cloud‑native networking in AWS, Azure, or GCP.

Working knowledge of automation and scripting (Python, Ansible, REST APIs) for network operations and configuration management.

Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills across networking, security, and infrastructure layers.

Ability to manage projects, communicate technical ideas clearly, and collaborate effectively with cross‑functional teams.

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Network Engineering, or a related technical field.

Technical bootcamps or equivalent work experience will be considered in lieu of a degree for outstanding candidates.

Preferred Skills & Experience

Professional-level certifications such as CCNP, JNCIP, or vendor‑neutral equivalents (CWNP, CompTIA, etc.).

Experience supporting SD‑WAN, NAC (e.g., ClearPass, ISE), wireless networking, and network segmentation solutions.

Exposure to infrastructure as code, Git‑based configuration pipelines, and open‑source monitoring tools (NetBox, Grafana, Zabbix, etc.).

Experience in regulated or high‑availability industries such as finance, aerospace, media, or healthcare.

Pay Range

Salary Range : $140,000 – $230,000 USD (California)

Compensation and Benefits

Base salary will vary based on experience, knowledge, and market demand. Full‑time employees also receive company equity and a comprehensive benefits package, including :

100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents.

Flexible paid time off for exempt staff and up to 10 days of vacation for non‑exempt staff.

Paid parental leave.

Short‑ and long‑term disability insurance.

Life insurance.

401(k) retirement plan.

One Medical membership.

ClassPass credits.

Personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health.

Various discounts and perks, including free snacks, drip coffee, cold drinks, and dinner meals; lunch subsidized.

U.S. Export Control Compliance Status

The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore must be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing.

Equal Opportunity

Vast is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment 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.

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