Legal Counsel

Vast is developing next-generation commercial space stations with the goal of ensuring a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies. Following the successful flight and operation of Haven Demo in 2025 — making Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft — the company is now advancing Haven-1, expected to become the world's first commercial space station, with permanent human presence targeted by 2030. This Legal Counsel role joins Vast's growing legal team reporting to the General Counsel, with approximately 60% of the portfolio focused on commercial contracts in supply chain and manufacturing — the legal backbone of a company building complex, human-rated space hardware at pace. A further 20% supports Vast's expanding space medicine capabilities, including the legal and regulatory complexities of human health and data privacy in crewed spaceflight contexts. The remaining 20% covers special projects and cross-functional legal support. The role is particularly relevant to space law practitioners with commercial contracting experience who are seeking in-house roles at the frontier of commercial human spaceflight. ITAR eligibility is required. The position is fully on-site in Long Beach.

Juris Doctor (J.D.) with active admission to a U.S. state bar in good standing; eligible to practise in-house in California 2+ years of legal experience in a law firm, private company, or government agency Subject matter expertise in commercial contracting, including supply chain and manufacturing agreements Strong verbal and written communication skills and sound legal judgment US Person status required for ITAR/EAR compliance Desirable: deep understanding of aerospace industry legal frameworks, including government and technology contracts Desirable: familiarity with internal policy development in a highly regulated environment Ability to travel up to 15% of the time