Technical Product Manager

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 in space without the adverse effects of zero-gravity.

Our initial crewed space habitat will be Haven-1, scheduled to be the world's first commercial space station when it launches into low earth orbit in August 2025.

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.

Vast is looking for a(n) Technical Product Manager , reporting to the Director of Information Systems, to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities :

• Requirement Gathering and Definition : Understanding technical requirements and ensuring they are clearly defined and aligned with business goals.
• Roadmap Development : Creating and managing a roadmap that reflects the technical needs and milestones of the product.
• Technical Oversight : Ensuring the product's technical aspects are feasible and align with the latest technological standards and practices.
• Technical Expertise : Unlike traditional product managers, a tech product manager must have a strong technical background, often requiring knowledge in software development, architecture, and engineering principles.
• Stakeholder Engagement : The technology product manager deals more frequently with the engineering teams, requiring a deep understanding of technical language and constraints, which is less emphasized in general product management.
• Product Oversight : Technical product managers focus on the 'how' of product development, ensuring that the technological aspects are feasible and scalable.
• Uncover and understand customer needs and translate them into requirements.
• Ability to work well with internal teams, including developers, engineers, architects, quality assurance, and operations.

Ensure requirements are fully understood and that implementation plans match expectations.

• Understand, research, and follow technical trends in the industry and in general. Able to assess emerging products and companies to measure their potential value or threat to the company and its products, as well as make recommendations on which new technologies to invest in or leverage.
• Follow competitors and conduct capability analysis regularly.
• Provide internal and customer training on how to use the product.
• Answer incoming questions about the product and its capabilities.
• Assess and address technical risks.
• Understand and analyze data pipelines, algorithms, and automated systems.
• Serve as a product evangelist and subject matter expert to the technical / developer community.
• Coordinate beta tests.
• Use database queries to analyze performance indicators, evaluate experiments, etc.
• Define success criteria for testing and product acceptance.
• Facilitate the creation and maintenance of proper product documentation.

Minimum Qualifications :

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 4+ years of experience as a product manager, business systems analyst, business intelligence engineer, or software engineer.
• Proficiency with agile methods, sprint planning, and Kanban or Agile boards
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and team collaboration skills.

Preferred Skills :

• Experience with CAD / PLM software packages.
• Experience with ERP / MES software packages.
• Knowledge of industry standards and best practices.
• Experience with the Atlassian tool chain to include JIRA and Confluence.
• Experience leading small-group / ad-hoc info sessions (e.g., lunch-and-learns).
• Extensive experience in the Aerospace and Defense industry.
• 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.

Salary Range : California

$130,000-$165,000 USD

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

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, flexible paid time off for exempt staff and up to 15 days of vacation for non-exempt staff, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, free catered meals and snacks and beverages, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, One Medical membership, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks.

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 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.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

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.