Engines - Propulsion Engineer (Early Career)

Position Overview

A thriving economy in space is needed to make life on Earth more vibrant, sustainable, and equitable. Space technology will enable global access to information, solutions to climate change, answers to global food security, products that transform healthcare, clean energy production, and more. Today, rocket launch options are slow, expensive, and unreliable. Stoke is building the world’s most efficient fully and rapidly reusable rocket designed to fly daily that will radically increase access to space and open up the space economy to safeguard our precious home, Earth. Reusable systems are the key to seamlessly connecting Earth and space. Stoke’s Engines Team is developing reusable LNG/LOX full-flow staged combustion first stage engines and a LH2/LOX expander second stage engine for our launch vehicle, Nova. As an Engines Propulsion Engineer, you will have extreme ownership over all aspects of a component’s design, analysis, manufacturing, testing, and validation for an advanced reusable rocket engine (components like engine layouts, thrust chambers, reentry heat shields, injectors, turbomachinery, actuators, ignitors, etc). You will be a key member of the engines development team working through all phases of the product lifecycle. You will seek out state-of-the-art design and manufacturing techniques and tools to solve challenging problems, and you will continuously iterate and improve your designs. You must be ready to stay focused, move fast, self-direct, and learn on the fly.

Responsibilities: Key Responsibilities

• Own all aspects of component design across Stoke’s engines.
• Complete trade studies, design criteria reviews, and conceptual designs of new components.
• Create models, drawings, and work instructions to coordinate manufacturing of various components.
• Execute thermal, fluid, and structural analysis as required for release.
• Perform component builds.
• Develop and execute qualification test plans to ensure readiness for flight (proof, vibration, thermal cycle, life cycle, flow testing, hotfire, etc).
• Present and clearly communicate design, analysis, and test results.
• Own root cause investigations and redesigns to improve reliability or manufacturing throughput.
• Track risks and execute appropriate mitigation plans.
• Develop and maintain test requirements and test plans.
• Manage project schedules, risk, and budget.

Requirements: Required Qualifications

• Exceptional command of fundamentals.
• Experience with detailed mechanical design including machined parts, additive parts, weldments, fasteners, seals, and translating/rotating assemblies.
• Experience in designing, analyzing, and testing rocket engine components; thrust chambers, regenerative cooling channels and heatshields, injectors, turbomachinery, actuators, ignitors, gimbals, feed systems, engine layouts, etc.
• Experience in GD&T, axial/radial tolerance stackups, and material selections.
• Experience post-processing test data to evaluate component performance and health.
• Proficiency in heat transfer, compressible and incompressible flow, and cryogenics fundamentals.
• Proficiency with CAD tools (Siemens NX preferred).
• 0-4+ years of experience in design, build, and testing of rocket engine components.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or similar.
• Willing to work out of our Kent, WA headquarters.

Benefits: Benefits & Perks

• Equity – We know that our employees are the reason we succeed. To give everyone a stake in our future, 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!