--- title: 'Director, People Business Partners at Vast' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-people-business-partners-vast-long-beach-fvf0mchqgpqg' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-15' --- # Director, People Business Partners at Vast - **Company:** Vast - **Location:** Long Beach, CA - **Compensation:** $184k–$275k - **Posted:** 2026-09-24 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-15 - **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/vast/jobs/4716532006?gh_jid=4716532006 ## Job description Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure using an incremental, hardware-rich, and low-cost approach. Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station 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. 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 in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules. Additionally, the company recently announced Vast Satellite, a high-power satellite product line leveraging its space station components and the heritage of Haven Demo. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, and with more than 1,000 employees and over a billion dollars in private capital, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats and systems for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy. Vast is looking for a Director, People Business Partners to lead our People Business Partner team, reporting into the Chief People Officer. The People Team drives our values of respect, curiosity, action, and excellence across our diverse teams and workforce in multiple locations. We work together to empower our teams to hire and retain thoughtful and passionate innovators, help people do their best work, grow their careers, and build healthy and productive workspaces in a safe and cohesive community. As Director, you will lead the team of People Business Partners (currently ~7 team members) , who serve as the primary People Team interface to every organization at Vast, from Engineering and Manufacturing to Mission Operations and corporate functions. You will set the strategy, standards, and operating rhythm for how business partnering is delivered across a company that is growing quickly in headcount, geography, and product scope: Vast today operates across California, Houston, Washington, D.C., Japan, and France, and is building a multi-product business spanning Haven space stations, Vast Satellite, and future products still to come. You will coach a high-performing team of practitioners and act as a trusted advisor to executive leaders on organizational design, talent, and change during a period of rapid growth and mission-critical milestones. This role may be leveled as Senior Director for a candidate with the depth and breadth of experience to match. This will be a full-time, exempt position located at our Long Beach location. Responsibilities: - Develop and own the People Business Partner strategy and multi-year operating model for the team, defining how business partnering scales with Vast's continued growth in headcount, sites, and product lines, and evolving team structure, coverage, and capability to stay ahead of the business. - Lead, develop, and inspire the People Business Partner team, setting clear priorities, coaching for impact, and building the capability and career growth of each team member. - Serve as a strategic advisor to Vast's executive leaders and their teams on organizational design, workforce planning, leadership effectiveness, talent management, and change leadership as the company scales. - Define and continuously improve the People Business Partner operating model — including coverage, service standards, escalation paths, and how the team engages with Centers of Excellence such as Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, People Operations, Talent Development, and Employee Relations. - Drive alignment, clear ownership, and  successful execution of company-wide people programs through  the PBP team, including performance management, goal setting, cyclical performance & compensation cycles and succession planning - Translate business strategy into people strategy, partnering with leaders to anticipate organizational needs ahead of major program and production milestones. - Bring a strategic, enterprise-wide mindset to Vast's geographic footprint, designing business partner coverage and practices that work across our locations in California, Houston, Washington, D.C., Japan, and France, and partnering with Legal, People Operations, and local leadership to navigate differing employment frameworks, cultural norms, and growth trajectories at each site. - Support Vast's evolution into a multi-product company, partnering with leaders across Haven space stations, Vast Satellite, and future product lines to shape organizational structures, talent strategies, and ways of working that allow each business to scale while sharing a common culture and people infrastructure. - Coach senior leaders and managers on building high-performing, inclusive teams, navigating complex organizational dynamics and changes, and delivering meaningful performance feedback. - Champion employee engagement across the company, using survey data, exit and stay insights, and frontline feedback to shape action plans and measure progress. - Leveraging and driving people analytics as a core practice within the team, ensuring high data accuracy in our HR systems and using people data to proactively  identify trends, inform decisions, and tell a clear story to leadership. - Partner with Legal and Employee Relations to ensure compliant, consistent, and fair practices across a multi-site workforce with a significant hourly population. - Build scalable, efficient HR workflows and processes that keep pace with the growth of the business without sacrificing quality or care for our people. - Model and reinforce our cultural values of respect, curiosity, action, and excellence in all interactions. Minimum Qualifications: - Bachelor's degree in human resource management, business, or a related field, or equivalent years of experience. - 12+ years of progressive HR experience, including 6+ years in a Business Partner capacity supporting senior and executive leaders. - 5+ years of experience directly managing and developing a team of HR Business Partners. - Demonstrated success partnering with executives on organizational design, workforce planning, and leading teams through significant change. - Experience in a start-up or a fast-paced, high-growth, hardware, or manufacturing environment. - Deep expertise across core HR domains, including performance management, talent management, compensation planning, and employee relations. - Strong understanding of California wage & hour and employment law. - Exceptional judgment, discretion, and the ability to influence at all levels of the organization. Preferred Skills & Experience: - Experience leading a People Business Partner function in an aerospace, defense, or complex hardware manufacturing company. - Experience supporting Manufacturing or operations-heavy groups with large hourly workforces across multiple sites. - Track record of scaling an HRBP team and operating model through a period of rapid headcount growth and change. - Experience supporting teams in international locations. - Strong knowledge of and experience with HR systems and people analytics tools. - SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent certification. - Ability to prioritize competing demands and lead a team through ambiguity in a dynamic, evolving environment. Additional Requirements: - Ability to travel to other Vast locations (Mojave, Hawthorne, etc.) as required. - Willingness to work flexible hours to support critical mission milestones and international offices as needed. Pay Range: - Director, People Business Partners: $184,000 - $240,000 - Senior Director, People Business Partners: $217,000 - $275,000 Pay Range: California $184,000—$275,000 USD We calibrate level and compensation to the selected candidate's experience and demonstrated capability. We welcome applicants across a range of experience levels to apply. ## 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](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-22/section-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. ## About Vast ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Aerospace, space infrastructure, commercial space stations - **Target customers**: B2B (government space agencies, research institutions, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, satellite operators), B2C (private astronaut missions) - **Mission or purpose statement**: “Our long-term vision is to create artificial gravity stations, allowing humanity to live and work in space without long-term harm to the body.” – Jed McCaleb ## Products & Services - **Haven-1**: The world’s first commercial space station, a single-module habitat launching in 2027 aboard a Falcon 9. Designed for 4-crew missions of up to 30 days, with microgravity research lab (10 payload slots), large window dome, always-on Wi-Fi, and Starlink laser communications. [vastspace.com](https://www.vastspace.com/) - **Haven-2**: A planned multi-module space station designed as a commercial successor to the ISS. First module (based on Haven-1 but stretched) to launch on Falcon Heavy in 2028, with full configuration of eight modules by 2032. Will compete for NASA’s Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) Phase 2. [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vast_(company)) - **Haven Demo**: A 500 kg demonstration satellite launched in November 2025, successfully tested communications, power, propulsion, and deorbit capabilities. Operated for three months before controlled reentry in February 2026. [vastspace.com](https://www.vastspace.com/) - **High-Power Satellite Buses**: Leveraging in-house space station technology, Vast has expanded into designing and building high-power satellite buses for commercial and government customers. [vastspace.com](https://www.vastspace.com/) ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed. However, the company raised $500M in March 2026 ($300M equity + $200M debt). [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vast_(company)) - **Key Metric**: Total funding to date – at least $500M (March 2026), plus prior undisclosed rounds led by founder Jed McCaleb. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Balerion Space Ventures, IQT, Qatar Investment Authority, Mitsui & Co., MUFG, Nikon Corporation, Stellar Ventures, Space Capital, Earthrise Ventures, Jed McCaleb. Partners include SpaceX (launch provider, Starlink), Impulse Space (propulsion), AnySignal, TRL11, Addvalue, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, CASIS, UK Space Agency, European Space Agency, NASA (CCSC-2 agreement). [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vast_(company)) [vastspace.com](https://www.vastspace.com/) - **Growth Signals**: - Won the sixth commercial ISS astronaut mission contract (Feb 2026), with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet as commander. - Signed multi-mission agreements with France (to ISS and Haven-1) and the Czech Republic (via ESA). - Completed primary structure of Haven-1 – the first U.S. space station flight article built in over 20 years. - Headcount grew from 606+ (Oct 2024) to “1000+ team members” by mid-2026. - Former NASA CEO Steve Isakowitz and veteran astronauts Andrew Feustel and Garrett Reisman joined as advisors/team members. [vastspace.com](https://www.vastspace.com/) [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vast_(company)) ## Competitive Advantages - **First-mover in commercial space stations**: Vast is the only operational commercial space station company to have flown and operated its own spacecraft in orbit (Haven Demo). - **Hardware-rich, low-cost approach**: Rapid iteration and in-house manufacturing enable faster development than competitors. - **Artificial gravity vision**: Long-term differentiator for human health in space – a key gap in current ISS and other station designs. - **Strong talent pipeline**: Leadership includes serial entrepreneurs (Max Haot, Jed McCaleb) and top SpaceX and NASA veterans (CTO Alex Hudson, COO Kris Young, astronaut Andrew Feustel). - **Strategic partnerships**: Deep relationships with SpaceX, international space agencies, and research institutions provide launch, funding, and mission opportunities. ## Strategic Focus - **Haven-1 launch and crewed missions**: Complete assembly, launch in 2027, and execute the first Vast-1 crew mission (4 astronauts, ~14 days). - **Haven-2 development**: Compete for NASA’s CLD Phase 2 contract (decision expected July 2026) to become a primary ISS replacement. - **Expand microgravity research network**: Partner with pharmaceutical, biotech, and materials science companies for in-space manufacturing and R&D. - **International expansion**: Secure additional government astronaut missions (France, UK, Czech Republic) and explore Indian launch capabilities. - **High-power satellite bus business**: Leverage in-house technology to capture commercial and defense satellite contracts. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: “All in” – bottom-up engineering, first principles, extreme ownership, rapid progress, and celebration of wins. Emphasizes respect, curiosity, and excellence. [vastspace.com](https://www.vastspace.com/careers) - **Benefits**: Long-term equity incentive, 401(k), generous PTO with annual cash-out, paid parental leave, comprehensive medical/dental/vision, subsidized meals, fitness memberships, and wellness benefits. [vastspace.com](https://www.vastspace.com/careers) - **Work environment**: In-office in Long Beach, CA. State-of-the-art 115,000 sq ft facility with manufacturing operations. - **Engineering culture**: Agile, risk-tolerant, and driven by passion for space. Team includes former SpaceX, NASA, and top aerospace engineers. - **Impact**: Directly building the future of long-term space habitation – a mission-driven environment with ambitious timelines and tangible results. ## Sources 1. [vastspace.com](https://www.vastspace.com/) 2. [vastspace.com/careers](https://www.vastspace.com/careers) 3. [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vast_(company)) 4. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vastspace) ## Other roles at Vast - [Senior Program Operations Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-program-operations-engineer-vast-long-beach-1k7q3jppdmry) — Long Beach, CA - [Mission Operations Engineer II - Ground Segment](https://feeny.ai/job/mission-operations-engineer-ii-ground-segment-vast-long-beach-vrjgr1kz7c67) — Long Beach, CA - [Fluid Systems Engineering](https://feeny.ai/job/fluid-systems-engineering-vast-long-beach-zc5nb75yv5ms) — Long Beach, CA - [People Operations Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/people-operations-associate-vast-long-beach-vjxreg40zq3r) — Long Beach, CA - [Buyer II, Avionics](https://feeny.ai/job/buyer-ii-avionics-vast-long-beach-24h6yk63v9q4) — Long Beach, CA - [Principal Strategic Sourcing](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-strategic-sourcing-vast-long-beach-25c9bq7v18cv) — Long Beach, CA - [Electric Propulsion Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/electric-propulsion-specialist-vast-long-beach-e8gbf4qanrzy) — Long Beach, CA - [Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Control Systems (New Grad)](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineering-thermal-control-systems-new-grad-vast-long-beach-8tm0qx9rq7sy) — Long Beach, CA - [Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Control Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineering-thermal-control-systems-vast-long-beach-d7be1jqzvbq7) — Long Beach, CA - [Mechanical Engineering, Structures (New Grad)](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineering-structures-new-grad-vast-long-beach-arv322bmjdye) — Long Beach, CA