Early Career Engineer, Nova
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 looking for an early-career engineer who is excited to design, build, test, and improve complex hardware for Nova. We care less about where you gained your experience and more about what you've built. Maybe you spent your weekends building a race car, designed and launched a rocket with your university team, machined your own parts, rebuilt an engine, or designed and fabricated a mechanism for a personal project. If you can explain what you built, why you made the decisions you did, what went wrong, and how you fixed it, we want to hear from you. You’ll be challenged every day, working on problems that will push you to learn faster and grow as an engineer. You’ll work alongside some of the best engineers in the industry, get your hands on real hardware, and have the opportunity to see your ideas go from concept to flight. If that energizes you, this is the role for you.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
- Strong foundation in mechanical engineering fundamentals, including mechanics, materials, and basic mechanical design
- Demonstrated experience designing, building, modifying, or testing mechanical hardware
- Experience using 3D CAD software through coursework, internships, student teams, or personal projects
- Familiarity with engineering drawings and communicating design intent
- Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills
- Ability to work effectively in a hands-on engineering and manufacturing environment
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Demonstrated curiosity and willingness to learn new tools, technologies, and engineering disciplines
Nice To Haves
- Experience taking a design from concept through CAD, fabrication, assembly, and testing
- A personal, academic, or professional project that demonstrates strong mechanical aptitude and a passion for building things
- Experience with machining, welding, sheet metal, additive manufacturing, or other fabrication processes
- Experience with rocketry, Formula SAE, robotics, UAVs, motorsports, or other hands-on engineering projects
- Familiarity with GD&T, tolerance analysis, or basic engineering analysis
- Experience troubleshooting mechanical or electromechanical hardware
- Experience with NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, or other 3D CAD software
- Experience working with technicians, machinists, or manufacturing teams
Responsibilities
- Design, build, test, and iterate on mechanical hardware for Nova
- Turn concepts into physical hardware by creating CAD models, engineering drawings, prototypes, and production-ready designs
- Take ownership of individual components or projects and drive them from initial concept through design, fabrication, assembly, and testing
- Work directly with manufacturing teams, technicians, and other engineers to fabricate, assemble, and improve hardware
- Get hands-on with hardware during assembly, testing, troubleshooting, and modification
- Investigate hardware problems, identify root causes, and develop practical solutions
- Make design decisions that balance performance, manufacturability, reliability, cost, and schedule
- Use test results and observations from hardware to inform design decisions and rapidly improve designs
- Collaborate with engineers across disciplines to solve complex problems and integrate mechanical systems
- Document designs, test results, and engineering decisions clearly
Benefits
- Equity in the form of stock options
- 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
- 10 days Holidays (including an end-of-year closure)
- Paid Family/Parental Leave
- On-site gym or monthly wellness stipend (depending on location)
- Dog friendly offices!
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
