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Structures - Senior Design Engineer

Kent, Washington, United States

At Stoke, we believe that a thriving space economy leads to a vibrant, sustainable, and equitable future here on Earth. That is why we are building our fully and rapidly reusable vehicle, Nova. It is designed to fly daily and solve the core challenges of space transportation – it reduces cost, increases availability, and enhances reliability. By radically lowering the cost and increasing the cadence of launch, we’re able to create a truly scalable space industry.

Our team is mission-driven, collaborative, and empowered with ownership of their work. If you want to work with some of the most dedicated and talented people on Earth, come join us.

Description

Fully reusable launch vehicles are the key to seamlessly connecting Earth and space. As a Senior Structures Design Engineer on this launch vehicle, you will provide technical leadership and help build engineering guidelines for the design of pressurized structures, primary structures, thrust structures, secondary structure and load path definition. You will also be a Responsible Engineer for significant sub-systems on our vehicles which will require owning a hardware project from requirements definition, through development, design, analysis, build, test, integration onto the vehicle, and flight. We are a small and motivated team, and you will need to work across disciplines with engineers and technicians to get the job done. You will have the opportunity to help build and test your own hardware so be ready to pick up a wrench and stand side by side with our fabrication team. This role will also provide mentorship to our younger team members and interns.

Qualifications

  • 8 years minimum experience in working in aerospace primary structures 
  • Designed, built and tested structures that have flown
  • Exceptional command of fundamentals
  • Demonstrated proficiency with CAD software (NX preferred) and analysis software (ANSYS preferred), should be able to talk to multiple examples of both
  • Ability to determine appropriate level of work for a problem (from hand calcs to multi-physics finite element solutions) and execute the work accordingly
  • Familiarity with launch vehicle design desired (cryogenic propellant familiarity preferred)
  • Experience with technical mentoring of junior engineers
  • Excellent written and verbal communication
  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Responsibilities

  • Define the structural design of the rocket in coordination with owners of other portions of the vehicle
  • Analyze structural components of the rocket and write margin summaries. You will have to help build and define load cases.
  • Procure and manage all hardware for components and structures that you own
  • Work side-by-side with manufacturing & test engineers to get your hardware built, tested and integrated onto the vehicle
  • Help build design tools and guidelines that will accelerate development of structural components
  • Track and disposition non-conformances for structural hardware
  • Manage the budget and schedule for the structural components that you own

Benefits

  • Equity – We are pleased to offer equity in the form of stock options to all regular, full-time employees. 
  • Comprehensive benefits program including subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance 
  • Company-paid life and disability insurance 
  • 401(k) plan with employer match 
  • 4 weeks’ Paid Time Off  
  • Holidays – 10 days (including an end-of-year closure) 
  • Paid Family/Parental Leave  
  • On-site gym or monthly wellness stipend (depending on location) 
  • Dog friendly offices! 

Compensation

Target Levels:

  • Level 4 range: $144,100 - $240,100
  • Level 5 range: $168,100 - $312,200

Our job posts are intentionally written to attract a wide variety of experience levels, and we make decisions about the right fit on a per-candidate basis. 

Your actual level and base salary will be decided based on your specific experience and skill level.

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Equal Opportunity 

The Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including with respect to disability and veteran status.  It is committed to compliance with all equal opportunity laws, including the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and Title VII.   It does not discriminate on the basis of nationality, race, citizenship, immigration status, or any other protected class when it comes to employment practices, including hiring. 

Employment at the Company is contingent upon satisfactory completion of reference and background checks, and on your ability to prove your identity and authorization to work in the U.S. for the Company.  Employees must comply with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services employment verification requirements, and, therefore, they must complete an Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 at the start of employment and re-verify authorization to work periodically.

Separate from this I-9 process, this position entails access to certain technology and technical data that is restricted under U.S. export control laws and regulations.  Employment or continued employment may be conditioned on your legal authorization to work with or have access to export control materials as necessary to perform your job.

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