Valves Engineer

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.

Stoke’s Valves team is responsible for designing, developing, building, and testing various in-house and purchased valves for use on our launch vehicle, Nova. As a valves team, we strive to make designs that are both reliable and easily manufacturable, and Stoke is committed to developing in-house valve manufacturing capabilities for rapid iteration and self-sustainability. Our valves are used in a variety of applications, including but not limited to engine flow control valves, large propellant valves, and high-pressure gas valves.

As a Valves Engineer, you will be responsible for defining, designing, manufacturing, testing, and qualifying various valve designs for both the stages and engines. As a responsible engineer, you will be the owner of the entire process for your designs. As part of a small, well-supported team, you will have access to the resources you need to get the job done right while simultaneously boosting your skills at a pace that can’t be matched in most other roles. You must be ready to stay focused, move fast, self-direct, and learn on the fly.

Responsibilities

• Collect design requirements from multidisciplinary teams, and use these to create concepts for valves
• Design valves for use on our Nova launch vehicle, model parts using Siemens NX CAD software
• Perform structural analysis on valves using hand calcs and FEA software
• Perform fluids analysis using hand calcs and CFD software
• Create manufacturing planning for building valves in a high-rate production environment. Be involved in valve builds on the production floor
• Create procedures and execute pressurized testing for valves, including acceptance testing, development testing, and qualification
• Coordinate directly with suppliers to procure parts
• Incorporate design for manufacturing best practices into designs to improve production efficiency
• Work with vehicle fluids teams to develop CONOPs and troubleshoot valve issues on the vehicle

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in design, build, and testing of valves for aerospace or industrial applications
• Exceptional command of fundamentals, including compressible flow, thermodynamics, structures, control systems, cryogenics, and instrumentation
• Extensive experience with CAD tools and configuration management (Siemens NX and Teamcenter preferred)
• Proficiency with understanding revision-controlled P&ID’s
• Proficiency with aerospace standard fasteners, seals, tubing, fittings, and commercial off the shelf hardware
• Proficiency with instrumentation including pressure transducers, thermocouples, accelerometers, and flow meters
• Proficiency with fluid analysis tools (Siemens AMESim, REFPROP, Excel, Matlab, or equivalent)
• Proficiency in GD&T, tolerance stackups, and material selection
• Hands-on experience performing fabrication and assembly of components
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or similar
• Willing to relocate to Seattle, WA

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance
• 401(k) match
• Paid time off
• Flexible scheduling
• Equity

Compensation

Target Levels:

• Level 3 range: $123,000 - $184,400
• Level 4 range: $144,100 - $240,100

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.

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.