Senior Project Manager
Vast
At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. We are building artificial gravity space stations, allowing long-term stays in space without the adverse effects of zero-gravity. Our initial crewed space habitat will be Haven-1, scheduled to be the world’s first commercial space station when it launches into low earth orbit in May 2026. 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 proactive, detail-obsessed Senior Project Manager reporting to the Director of Marketing Operations, to bring structure, accountability, and operational excellence to our marketing and creative team. This role will own the full lifecycle of marketing projects— from intake and prioritization to execution and delivery — ensuring the right people are working on the right things at the right time. They will take full ownership of timelines, dependency management, and resource planning to eliminate bottlenecks and keep projects moving smoothly. Partnering closely with creatives, executive leadership, and stakeholders across the business, this person will implement streamlined processes, manage workloads, and drive team-wide clarity.
They will also lead a small group of marketing coordinators, bringing out their best work in support of our marketing output. The ideal candidate is equal parts strategist, tactician, and doer, someone who loves turning chaos into clarity and is passionate about scaling creative teams into high-performing, content-generating powerhouses.
This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.
Key Responsibilities
- Design and implement scalable project management workflows tailored to a fast-moving creative environment
- Build and maintain robust dependency management systems (e.g., Gantt charts, milestone maps) to keep complex, multi-phase projects on track
- Own the end-to-end project management of all marketing deliverables, from intake and scoping to delivery and post-mortem
- Drive timeline creation, tracking, and accountability across all marketing functions — ensuring deadlines are realistic, visible, and achievable
- Serve as the central point of coordination between creative teams and business stakeholders to align priorities, expectations, and resources
- Proactively identify project risks, roadblocks, and bottlenecks — and lead the effort to resolve them before they impact delivery
- Manage and mentor a team of marketing coordinators, helping them grow into efficient, high-performing project support roles
- Implement tools and systems (e.g., Asana, Wrike, Monday.com, etc.) that improve visibility, collaboration, and throughput
- Establish clear processes for intake, review, approvals, and feedback loops to keep projects moving without sacrificing quality
- Report on project progress, capacity, and performance metrics to leadership, offering insights and recommendations for continuous improvement
Minimum Qualifications
- 5–7 years of experience in project management, with a strong track record of managing creative or marketing teams in a fast-paced environment
- Proven experience building and managing project workflows, including complex timeline and dependency systems (e.g., Gantt charts, critical paths)
- Deep understanding of project management tools and platforms (e.g., Airtable, Asana, Wrike, Trello, Monday.com, Smartsheet)
- Exceptional organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across creative, marketing, and executive teams
- Project Management certification (PMP, PMI-ACP, or equivalent) preferred, or equivalent demonstrated experience in structured project environments
Preferred Skills & Experience
- A degree in Project Management, Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
- Experience working with in-house creative teams, including design, digital, content, and media production
- Familiarity with creative development processes, from concepts and briefs to revisions, approvals, and final delivery
- Familiarity with aerospace, tech, or startup environments
- Background in marketing operations or experience supporting cross-functional teams in high-volume content environments
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to report on team velocity, resource utilization, and project performance metrics
- Comfort navigating ambiguity and evolving priorities in a growing start-up organization
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to fast-paced environments
- Ability to act as both a process builder and change agent — introducing structure while maintaining team creativity and flexibility
Additional Requirements
- Ability to work onsite at Vast’s Long Beach location to collaborate closely with the team.
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
