Commercial Counsel

Stoke Space • Kent, WA

3d • $163,275 - $244,860

About The Position

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.
We are seeking a mid-level corporate attorney to join our in-house legal team, supporting the full lifecycle of our commercial contracting activities in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. This role will partner closely with business, engineering, and finance teams to enable rapid, compliant contract execution for our rocket launch company, while also supporting broader legal department functions. As part of a small, well-supported team, you will have the opportunity to boost 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.

Requirements

• JD from an accredited law school with active bar membership
• 8+ years of experience in commercial or corporate practice, preferably in aerospace, defense, or hardware technology sectors
• Excellent analytical, negotiation, and drafting skills
• Ability to prioritize and balance multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Consensus-builder among cross-functional teams to find solutions that fulfill both legal and business mandates
• Demonstrated ability to independently own and drive project management through completion
• Aerospace, defense or hardware technology industry experience highly desirable
• Familiarity and/or comfort understanding technically complex systems
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex contractual information clearly to various stakeholder types
• Ability to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances
• Self-starter with demonstrated history of ownership and accountability

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of routine and complex commercial agreements, including NDAs, launch services agreements, software and technology licenses, vendor and supplier agreements, master services agreements, and consulting agreements.
• Develop and maintain scalable contracting infrastructure, including standard contract templates, clause libraries, negotiation playbooks, approval processes, and other tools designed to increase consistency, efficiency, and contract velocity as the company grows.
• Own commercial contract negotiations from intake through execution, independently handling routine and moderately complex matters and exercising sound judgment regarding when to escalate novel, high-risk, or strategically significant issues.
• Advise and advocate on key contractual provisions, including intellectual property, confidentiality, indemnification, limitation of liability, insurance, data security, compliance, payment, termination, and other key commercial provisions, and help internal stakeholders understand and manage contractual obligations.
• Drive strategic alignment across the business by collaborating with business development, engineering, finance, IT/security, and executive teams to find compliant and business-enabling solutions.
• Partner with the legal team on broader corporate and operational matters and contribute to building a high-performing, business-oriented legal function in a fast-paced, highly innovative environment.
• Identify and drive opportunities to leverage technology and automation to improve legal processes and support for the business.
• Flexibility to assist with various legal matters outside your core expertise as business needs arise.

Benefits

• 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!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree