Senior Threat Detection Engineer

Vast•Long Beach, CA 90801, US• Full Time

Posted 3 weeks ago• Aerospace Engineering

Compensation

$106,000–$230,000/year

Job Description

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 looking for a Senior Threat Detection Engineer, reporting to the Information Security Manager, to support the development of the systems 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:

Research, select/build, and implement processes/tools to improve detection security methodologies.
Analyze logs from various sources to identify patterns indicative of malicious activities to drive detection strategies.
Create detection queries to enhance visibility and monitoring capabilities within Vast’s infrastructure.
Implement continual improvements to incident response playbooks.
Monitor security systems, networks, and applications for suspicious activities.
Design and implement security orchestration and automation response.
Collaborate with the Information Security team to peer review detection strategies and to foster an effective and positive work environment.
Support compliance efforts as it relates to NIST 800-171, CMMC, 2.0 and/or ITAR/EAR.

Minimum Qualifications:

4+ years of hands-on experience.
Deep understanding of MITRE ATT&CK and how it applies to various on-prem and cloud resources.
Prior experience handling material incidences from start to finish.
Previous experience implementing “Detection as Code”.
Proficiency in configuring, deploying, and maintaining security tools such as SIEM, IDS/IPS, antivirus, SOAR tooling and/or vulnerability scanning.
Proficient knowledge of network protocols, firewalls, and intrusion detection/prevention systems.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

Understanding of compliance requirements and certifications like NIST 800-171, CMMC 2.0, DFARS 252.204-7012, ITAR/EAR
Prior experience handling digital forensics with tooling such as FTK and Autopsy
Prior experience working in a fast-paced startup environment.
5+ years of hands-on experience for Staff level
Prior experience using agentic AI to augment detection capabilities
Familiarity with security SaaS solutions and relevant integrations
Prior experience architecting a new custom detection framework

Additional Requirements:

Ability to travel up to 10% of the time.
Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones.

Pay Range:

Threat Detection Engineer Level II: $106,000 - $151,900
Senior Threat Detection Engineer: $125,000 - $171,500
Staff Threat Detection Engineer: $152,000 - $230,000

Pay Range: California

$106,000—$230,000 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, 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.