At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next-generation space stations to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Using an incremental, hardware-rich and low-cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. 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 seeking a University Recruiter II reporting to the Manager, Emerging Talent, to support early career hiring across the business, with a primary focus on engineering roles. In this role, you’ll contribute to full-cycle recruiting, coordinate campus and intern-focused events, and help deliver an outstanding candidate and intern experience. You’ll partner closely with the Staff University Recruiter, engineering hiring teams, and other cross-functional groups to support a high-impact and inclusive emerging talent program.
This will be a full-time, exempt position located at our Long Beach, CA location.
Key Responsibilities:
- Support full-cycle recruiting for intern and early career roles, from sourcing and screening to coordinating interviews and facilitating offers — with a focus on delivering a smooth, inclusive candidate experience.
- Collaborate with hiring teams to align on role requirements, maintain accurate candidate records in Greenhouse, and build strong, diverse pipelines that meet business needs.
- Contribute to event planning and execution for campus visits, career fairs, conferences, and student competitions that grow Vast’s early talent brand and presence.
- Coordinate student engagement activities including tours of Vast’s Long Beach HQ, university partnerships, and collaboration with cross-functional teams on swag and event materials.
- Support intern program operations, from onboarding and orientation through enrichment events, communications, performance tracking, and return offer logistics.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Ability to work full-time onsite in Long Beach, CA.
- Bachelor’s degree in related field.
- 2+ years of experience in university recruiting and early career hiring.
- Experience supporting full-cycle recruiting processes, including scheduling, candidate communication, and offer coordination.
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a focus on professionalism and candidate experience.
Preferred Skills & Experience:
- Experience planning and supporting university-facing and intern program events, including career fairs, info sessions, student organization partnerships, intern onboarding, enrichment activities, social events, and student competitions — with ownership of logistics, materials, and coordination across multiple stakeholders.
- Background in technical recruiting or coordination, particularly for software, electrical, and mechanical engineering roles; startup industry experience in aerospace, automotive, or similar technical environments is a plus.
- Familiarity with Greenhouse, Handshake, or similar applicant tracking systems (ATS) and comfort working within structured recruiting workflows.
- Strong communication, organization, and relationship-building skills, with a customer-service mindset and the ability to collaborate across teams.
- Passion for early talent development and student engagement, with a commitment to delivering inclusive and engaging candidate experiences.
Additional Requirements:
- Ability to travel up to 30% during the peak campus recruiting season
- Willingness to support occasional evening and weekend events
- Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted.
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: medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, 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 & onsite barista, 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.