Staff Data Architect

Vast is looking for a Staff Data Architect, reporting to the Senior Director of Information Systems, to support the development of the data infrastructure and AI-driven capabilities 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:

Design, architect, and implement scalable enterprise data infrastructure including data lakes, warehouses, and real-time streaming platforms

Build and maintain robust data pipelines that feed internal AI/ML tools and enable advanced analytics across all departments

Own end-to-end data architecture from ingestion through transformation to consumption, ensuring data quality, reliability, and security

Integrate data from complex engineering systems (PLM/Teamcenter), manufacturing systems (MES/MOM), ERP (NetSuite), IoT/sensor networks and other enterprise systems

Create innovative data solutions that enable AI/ML capabilities for engineering analysis, manufacturing optimization, and supply chain intelligence

Establish data governance frameworks, standards, and best practices across the organization

Implement MLOps infrastructure to support model training, deployment, and monitoring

Build real-time data pipelines from shop floor systems, test equipment, and operational technology (OT) environments

Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and business teams to understand data requirements and deliver BI/AI-ready datasets

Lead and mentor a high-performing data engineering team, establishing technical standards and fostering a culture of extreme ownership

Evaluate and implement cutting-edge data technologies including cloud-native services, vector databases, and modern data stack tools

Optimize data pipelines for performance, cost-efficiency, and scalability

Implement monitoring, alerting, observability, and disaster recovery capabilities for mission-critical data systems

Provide technical leadership and strategic guidance on data architecture to executive leadership

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent work experience

8+ years of hands-on experience in data engineering, data architecture, or related fields

3+ years of experience in a technical leadership role leading data engineering teams or initiatives

Proven track record of building enterprise-scale data infrastructure and production data pipelines

Expert-level proficiency in SQL and Python

Deep hands-on experience with cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and associated data services

Strong experience with modern data processing frameworks (Apache Spark, Kafka, Airflow, or equivalent)

Demonstrated experience with data warehousing technologies (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Redshift, or similar)

Experience supporting AI/ML initiatives with production-grade data pipelines and infrastructure

Preferred Skills & Experience:

Experience in manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or hardware-intensive industries

Background integrating data from PLM systems (Teamcenter, Windchill), ERP systems (NetSuite, SAP), and MES/manufacturing execution systems

Hands-on experience with MLOps tools, feature stores, and machine learning data pipelines

Knowledge of DevOps/DataOps practices including CI/CD, infrastructure as code (Terraform, CloudFormation), and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)

Experience with real-time streaming architectures and event-driven systems

Familiarity with vector databases, knowledge graphs, and AI/LLM data architectures

Understanding of dimensional modeling, data vault methodology, and modern data architecture patterns

Contributions to open-source data engineering projects

Experience with digital twin architectures or simulation data management

Strong understanding of data security, compliance, and governance in regulated industries

Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders

Proven ability to balance strategic vision with tactical execution in fast-paced startup environments

Track record of extreme ownership—proactively identifying problems and driving solutions to completion

Additional Requirements:

Ability to travel up to 10% of the time to other Vast facilities or vendor sites

Willingness to work extended hours or weekends to support critical mission milestones and production launches

Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State (export control requirement)

Pay Range:

Staff Data Architect: $155,800- $221,160

Pay Range: California

$155,800—$221,160 USD