Mechanical Engineer, Payload Fairing Jettison Systems

MaC VC; Kent (WA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity – stock options

Health/dental/vision insurance

Life and disability insurance

401(k) with employer match

4 weeks Paid Time Off

Holidays - 10 days

Parental Leave

Wellness stipend

Dog friendly offices

Job summary

Stoke Space is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to own the payload fairing jettison system for Nova. You will oversee the system end-to-end from analysis to flight, including separation, pneumatics, actuators, and mechanisms, plus related tests and reuse strategies.

You will work with machinists and suppliers to build and verify hardware on schedule, contributing to next-generation deployment concepts. A degree in engineering and hands-on experience are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of hands-on engineering experience designing, building, and testing hardware.
• Strong fundamentals in statics, dynamics, materials, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics.
• Experience with pneumatics, actuators, or mechanisms design and testing.
• Proficient in 3D CAD and detailed manufacturing drawings.
• Knowledge of GD&T per ASME Y14.5.
• Experience with structural analysis (hand calcs and FEA).
• Hands-on test experience: plans, instrumentation, data correlation.

Responsibilities

• Own the fairing jettison system from requirements through verification and reuse.
• Develop jettison dynamics and clearance analyses, derive system loads, and correlate to test data.
• Design, analyze, procure, qualify, and integrate pneumatics, actuators, and mechanisms.
• Create CAD models and manufacturing drawings with GD&T.
• Collaborate with machinists, technicians, and suppliers to build and test hardware.
• Plan and run integrated jettison tests from development to qualification.
• Troubleshoot failures and drive root-cause corrective actions.
• Lead design reviews and communicate technical decisions clearly.
• Run trade studies on separation architectures for next-gen systems.

Skills

Bachelor's degree

5+ years

ME fundamentals

Pneumatics/Actuators

3D CAD

GD&T

Structural analysis

Test plans/instrumentation

Ownership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Aerospace engineering

Tools

NX

ANSYS

Femap

Job description

Stoke Space is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to own the payload fairing jettison system for Nova. You will oversee the system end-to-end from analysis to flight, including separation, pneumatics, actuators, and mechanisms, plus related tests and reuse strategies.

You will work with machinists and suppliers to build and verify hardware on schedule, contributing to next-generation deployment concepts. A degree in engineering and hands-on experience are required.