System Architect New Kent, Washington

Stoke Space; Kent (WA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 328,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity (stock options)

Life and disability insurance

401(k) plan with employer match

Holidays – 10 days

On-site gym / wellness stipend

Dog-friendly offices

Job summary

Stoke Space is hiring a System Architect to lead architecture concepts for the Nova launch system. You will translate customer goals into feasible concepts, perform first-order analyses, and develop estimates for mass, power, cost, and performance despite uncertainty.

You will help integrate architecture into hardware and learn lessons from tests and flight ops. You will collaborate with Nova product teams, define requirements, ensure commonality across approaches, and support full lifecycle

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or similar field.
• 10+ years in engineering on complex, high-performance products.
• Fundamentals in aerospace structures, mechanisms, propulsion, avionics, software, or flight dynamics.
• Ability to perform first-order analyses across disciplines.
• Ability to move quickly and decide under uncertainty.
• Ability to lead and follow.

Responsibilities

• Develop conceptual system architectures and ConOps meeting customer objectives.
• Define system requirements, product breakdown, and lower-level decompose.
• Perform first-order analyses and estimate performance with limited data.
• Maintain common architectural approaches for reliability and margins.
• Support lifecycle from design through integration and operations.
• Provide cross-system technical insight to mitigate risks.

Skills

Aerospace fundamentals

First-order analysis

Decision-making under uncertainty

Cross-functional collaboration

System-level thinking

Education

Bachelor's in aerospace engineering

Master’s degree or PhD in aerospace engineering

Tools

Analytical tools

Job description

At Stoke, we believe a thriving space economy will enable a vibrant, sustainable, and equitable future here on Earth. That is why we’re building Nova, our fully and rapidly reusable launch vehicle. Designed for daily flight, Nova tackles the core challenges of space transportation by reducing cost, increasing availability, and improving reliability. By radically lowering launch costs and increasing flight cadence, we’re helping create a truly scalable space industry.

Our team is mission-driven, collaborative, and empowered to take ownership of their work. If you want to work alongside some of the most dedicated and talented people on Earth, we’d love to have you join us.

Description

As a System Architect, you will beacore member of a small and agile team focused on developing architecture concepts and system requirementsfor future iterations of the Nova launch system.You will translate customerobjectivesand business goals intofeasibletechnical concepts. You will perform first-order analysis and trade studies to evaluate concepts anddownselectfor further development.You will perform first-order analysis and develop assumptions across a broad range of technical disciplinestomakeestimates of mass,power,cost, and performancedespite limited information and significant uncertainty. In collaboration with the Nova product development teams, you willsupport the implementation of your architecture concepts into real hardware,learn lessons from integrated testing and flight operations, and translate those lessons into future architecture improvements.You must be ready to stay focused, move fast, self-direct, and learn on the fly.

Key Responsibilities

• Listen to customer inputand business goals, thendevelop conceptual system architecture, concept of operations (ConOps), and functional capabilities which meet customerand businessobjectives
• Define system requirements to meet functional capabilities andConOps, define product breakdown, and decompose requirements to lower-level products
• Quickly make assumptions,performfirst-order analysistovalidatethose assumptions, and generate estimations ofsystem andcomponentperformance based on limited information
• Definesystem-level approaches to reliability, performance marginmanagement,and incremental development of capabilities,then work tomaintaincommonality in those approaches across the launch system throughout the lifecycle
• Support the products that you help architect through the full lifecycle including detailed design, integration, test, and operations
• Provide cross-system technical insight and subject matterexpertiseas neededtoidentifyand mitigate risks that arise duringthe product lifecycle

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or similar field
• 10+ years of experience in an engineering role on a complex product requiring high performance, high reliability, and a rapid development process
• Exceptional command of fundamentals in one or more of the following engineering disciplines: aerospace structures, mechanisms, propulsion systems, avionics, software, or flight dynamics
• Ability to understand and apply fundamentals for first-order analysis across all disciplines
• Ability to move quickly and make decisions in an environment of uncertainty
• Ability to lead andfollow

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or PhD in aerospace engineering or similar field
• Experience on a launch vehicleand/or spacecraftprogram from early concept definition through flight test
• Equity – We are pleased to offer equity in the form of stock options to all full-time employees.
• Company-paid life and disability insurance
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• Holidays – 10 days (including an end-of-year closure)
• On-site gym or monthly wellness stipend (depending on location)
• Dog friendly offices!

Target Levels:

Level 3: $129,150 - $193,620

Level 4: $151,305 - $252,105

Level 5: $176,505 - $327,810

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.

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.

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 backgroundchecks, 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.

Candidate Rights & Accommodations

If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete the application or participate in the interview process, please contact [e-mail] . Requests will be handled in accordance with applicable laws. Please do not include medical or other confidential information in your initial request.

For more information about your rights, please refer to the "Know Your Rights" notice here .

E-Verify

Stoke Space uses E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.

For more information on the right to work, please refer to the poster here .