Vast is looking for a Director, Government Affairs and National Security Programs, reporting to the Vice President of Government Affairs, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. 

They will lead and expand the company’s engagement with the U.S. Department of Defense and associated national security stakeholders. This role will drive policy, partnership, and advocacy strategies to advance Vast’s initiatives to launch and operate the world’s leading commercial space stations in support of both civil and national security space objectives.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Washington D.C. location.

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership
  
  • Develop and execute a comprehensive DoD and national security engagement strategy aligned with Vast’s government affairs and policy objectives.
    Collaborate across internal teams including Legal, Programs, Engineering, and Business Development to align advocacy efforts with mission and programmatic priorities.
• DoD and Interagency Engagement
  
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with key offices within the Department of Defense, U.S. Space Force, Air Force, Space Development Agency (SDA), Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), and other defense-related organizations.
    Engage with relevant Congressional committees and staff, particularly those overseeing defense, space, and appropriations matters.
    Coordinate with the National SecurityCouncil (NSC), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and others in the Executive Office of the President (EOP) when cross-agency alignment is required.
• Policy and Advocacy
  
  • Monitor, analyze, and interpret U.S. defense and national security policy, legislation, and appropriations developments impacting commercial space capabilities.
  • Prepare policy briefs, talking points, and legislative summaries to inform internal leadership and support strategic decision-making.
  • Develop recommendations and written submissions for defense-related requests for information (RFIs), trade reports, and industry-government engagements.
• Program and Partnership Support
  
  • Collaborate with Vast’s business development team to support DoD-related contracting opportunities, cooperative agreements, and partnerships.
  • Identify emerging defense needs where Vast’s commercial capabilities can contribute to resilience, mission assurance, and space domain awareness objectives.
  • Provide policy support for defense-related technology initiatives, security reviews, and regulatory engagement.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 6+ years of professional experience in government affairs and/or relevant experience.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience working on DOD space programs and policies.
• Experience with government contracting and government procurement.
• Experience with Congressional appropriations and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) process.
• Proven ability to adapt to rapidly changing priorities and schedules with ease and grace.
• Ability to simplify complex concepts into straightforward and concise explanations.
• Comfortable operating outside of areas of expertise and in new territory.
• Excellent communication, analytical, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Self-starter with excellent time-management and prioritization skills.

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.
• Ability to obtain appropriate security clearance to support DOD space programs.

Vast is looking for a Head of Civil Programs, reporting to the Chief Policy Officer, to define and lead Vast’s strategy, engagement, and execution for NASA programs across Haven-1 and future Vast programs.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located on-site at our Long Beach, CA location. 

Responsibilities

Program Capture and Growth

• Lead capture efforts for NASA programs, from early opportunity shaping through proposal and award.
• Guide competitive positioning, teaming strategies, and proposal development in coordination with internal stakeholders.
• Develop and manage a multi-year NASA opportunity pipeline aligned with agency planning cycles and budgets.
  

Civil Space Strategy

• Develop and own Vast’s NASA civil space strategy aligned with agency priorities, mission needs, and program capabilities.
• Identify near-term and long-range NASA mission opportunities that leverage Haven-1 and future Vast programs.
• Provide strategic guidance to company leadership on program focus, timing, and positioning.
• Apply first principles thinking to Government needs to shape programs to rapidly deliver superior results for the Nation.
• Collaborate closely with Vast’s Government Affairs team and external advisors.

NASA Engagement and Mission Development

• Build and maintain senior-level relationships across NASA Headquarters, Mission Directorates, and Centers.
• Serve as one of Vast’s primary executive interfaces with NASA stakeholders.
• Work closely with internal teams to translate NASA objectives into viable mission concepts and program approaches.

Strategy-to-Execution Alignment

• Ensure NASA requirements and expectations are clearly understood across engineering, program, legal, and operations teams.
• Support technical and programmatic reviews, milestones, and customer engagements as programs mature.
• Help establish program foundations that enable successful execution beyond contract award.

External Representation

• Represent Vast at NASA-focused forums, customer meetings, and industry events.
• Present Vast station and future system capabilities and operational concepts to NASA stakeholders.
• Support the development of NASA-facing narratives and outreach materials as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience working with NASA or NASA-funded civil space programs.
• Demonstrated success leading NASA program capture, proposal efforts, or mission development.
• Strong understanding of NASA program lifecycles and operational environments.
• Excellent communication skills across technical, programmatic, and executive audiences.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree in engineering, systems engineering, or business.
• Experience with human spaceflight systems, in-space infrastructure, or operational space programs.
• Familiarity with NASA processes for advancing programs from concept through operations.
• Ability to lead complex efforts independently in a fast-moving environment.
• Passion for building the operational and technological foundations for sustained human presence in space.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to travel up to 30% of the time.

Vast is looking for a  Director, Agency Crew Sales, reporting to the Chief Revenue Officer, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations. 

As a Director of Agency Crew Sales, you will act as a first point of contact for potential crew customers on Vast space stations with a concentration on sovereign space agencies. You will work closely with technical engineering teams to understand and communicate the capabilities of our product lines to the prospective customer base. The role requires personal drive to identify opportunities, develop the necessary relationships, and ultimately execute contracts that will define the trajectory of Vast.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located on-site at our Long Beach, CA  location. 

Responsibilities: 

• Manage customer contract execution, from initial customer contact through completion of the mission.
• Manage and maintain internal sales tools and dashboards.
• Collaborate with the Communications & Marketing team in creating marketing materials and strategic communications. 
• Remain up-to-date on the latest space station systems’ competitive landscape and market, determine pricing, and formulate strategic direction. 
• Expand business opportunities and nurture relationships with existing customers.
• Develop and present bid/no-bid strategies, and manage proposal planning, preparation, and submission. 
• Organize and conduct customer development activities such as customer meetings, facility tours and product demonstrations.
• Represent Vast at public events such as industry conferences and speaking engagements.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in a sales or program management role in the aerospace, space or hard tech industry.
• Bachelors degree 

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Master’s degree in business or relevant discipline.
• Experience in crafting presentations which includes building out compelling storylines, presenting data to audiences, and pushing the key messages.
• Strong ability to prioritize and successfully drive a sale or project from beginning to end and to work across multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to thrive in a startup environment with the ingenuity to define and implement efficient processes for effective work execution in a matrixed cross-functional environment.
• Self-motivated and creative solutions-focused mentality.
• Passion for the space industry and changing “business-as-usual” paradigms.
• Possess a strong understanding of business-to-business sales processes, best practices, pipeline management, and technical proposal writing.
• Ability to discuss technical systems and practical applications to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to draft, review and produce large commercial and government proposals with a matrixed team.
• Ability to make independent judgments with limited information.
• Logical and strategic approach to solving problems.
• Comfortable working in a high-stress environment balancing several projects at any given time, and the flexibility to adjust for abrupt changes in strategic direction.

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 30% of the time.

Vast is looking for a Head of Special Programs, reporting to the Chief Policy Officer, to lead all national security focused business development for Haven-1 and future Vast systems. This role will lead customer engagement, opportunity development, capture strategy, and partnership efforts that advance Vast’s initiatives to operate the world’s leading in-space infrastructure in support of national security objectives.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Washington D.C. location. 

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership
  • Develop and execute a comprehensive national security market strategy aligned with Vast’s revenue and mission objectives.
  • Collaborate with Leadership, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, Communications, and other internal teams to ensure alignment between national security customer needs and station development priorities.
  • Coordinate the preparation and delivery of space-relevant national security threat briefings to support strategic planning and defense engagement activities.
  • Lead internal planning for national security opportunity prioritization, capture strategy, and pipeline development.

• Business Development and Capture Execution
  • Lead customer engagement across opportunity identification, mission scoping, capability briefings, and early concept development.
  • Identify, shape, and advance opportunities for national security use of Vast systems across crewed missions, experimentation, training, test and evaluation, and payload hosting.
  • Lead proposal development and coordinate cross functional contributions from engineering, program management, legal, and operations teams.
  • Manage pipeline development, forecasting, and reporting across all national security  accounts.
  • Negotiate and close contracts for national security missions and associated services.

• External Representation
  • Represent Vast at national security, aerospace, and space industry events where defense and government stakeholders are present.
  • Deliver presentations, participate in panels, and provide senior-level briefings that communicate the capabilities and value of Vast stations.
  • Support Communications and Marketing in the development and delivery of defense-related public materials, messaging, and engagement strategies.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, aerospace, business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of relevant experience including substantial work in Department of Defense business development, capture management, special programs, or defense contracting.
• Deep understanding of DoD procurement and contract structures, including IDIQ, OTA,    FFP, CPFF, Programs of Record, and SBIR Phase III.
• Demonstrated experience leading efforts that secured Programs of Record, including strategy, teaming, and proposal.
• Excellent communication, analytical, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong technical understanding and ability to communicate complex systems to defense audiences.
• Excellent communication, analytical, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to operate independently, prioritize effectively, and manage multiple efforts simultaneously in a fast paced environment.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Master’s degree in engineering, science, business, or a national security discipline.
• Experience working with the U.S. Space Force, Space Development Agency, Defense Innovation Unit, DARPA, Air Force, or similar organizations.
• Strong understanding of the flexible acquisition approaches DoD uses to explore new technologies, support research and experimentation, and rapidly evaluate emerging commercial capabilities.
• Ability to work in classified environments.

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 30% of the time
• TS/SCI with CI Polygraph.