Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition

Vast • Long Beach, California, United States • Full-time

$156,000

per year

Talent Acquisition Human Resources Recruiting Technical Recruitment Space Exploration

Job Description

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 May 2026. 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 Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition reporting to the Director, Talent Acquisition to help lead our efforts in building world-class engineering teams. This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

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

Responsibilities:

Lead, manage and mentor team of technical recruiters and sourcers, fostering a collaborative, high performing team environment
Provide directional leadership and recruitment strategy for a diverse range of roles, from entry to senior level, across multiple teams and/or entire business units and advise senior management on recruiting trends and talent market dynamics
Partner with engineering leadership to understand team needs and define hiring roadmaps for roles such as electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, systems architects, firmware engineers, and silicon engineers
Guide your team in moving beyond traditional recruitment methods, developing innovative strategies to engage talent from underrepresented backgrounds and implementing inclusive hiring practices that ensure all candidates are positioned for success
Provide a deep understanding of your and your team’s roles, how they impact business objectives and program milestones, and serve as consultant to hiring leaders
Manage metrics-driven recruiting processes with a focus on time-to-fill and candidate quality
Stay current on trends in the talent market and represent the company at key recruiting events, conferences, and networking opportunities

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or similar experience
8+ years of experience in technical recruiting, including 4+ years in a people management role with multiple direct reports.
Aerospace experience a strong plus.
Proven ability to manage and mentor recruiting teams in fast-paced, high-growth environments.
Deep understanding of technical roles, hiring challenges, and market dynamics in hardware.
Data-driven mindset with experience using ATS tools and recruiting analytics to optimize processes.
Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

Familiarity with hardware-software co-development environments and technical fluency in hardware systems
Proven track record leading high-performing recruiting teams, including both individual contributors and managers
Recognized for empathetic leadership, direct and constructive feedback, and developing team members into trusted strategic partners
Passionate about building scalable systems and processes to improve how technical talent is hired
Execution and ownership focused - Goal oriented; attains satisfaction from doing, achieving and excelling

Pay Range:

Manager, Talent Acquisition: $135,000 - $165,000
Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition: $156,000 - $200,000

Salary Range: California

$135,000—$200,000 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 10 days of vacation for non-exempt staff, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, One Medical membership, 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, 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.

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.