Head of Avionics

Stoke Space • Kent, WA

8d

About The Position

As Head of Avionics, you will own the end-to-end strategy, architecture, development, qualification, and production scaling for all avionics systems on Stoke's 100% reusable rockets. This includes flight computers, power distribution, sensors, actuators, RF communications, guidance/navigation/control (GNC) interfaces, flight termination systems, and environmental survivability for both ascent and reentry. You will drive innovation in compact, reliable, radiation-tolerant, and rapidly producible avionics tailored to high-cadence reusability - while leading a high-performing team in a fast-paced startup environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science or Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline, and 10+ years’ experience developing flight-critical avionics for spacecraft, launch vehicles, or other high-reliability systems, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• 5+ years’ experience building, leading, and scaling high performing engineering teams responsible for flight hardware
• Deep technical expertise in multiple avionics domains: embedded systems, flight computers, power electronics, RF/communications, harness design, sensors/actuators, and environmental hardening.
• Experience architecting fault-tolerant, distributed avionics systems for launch vehicles or spacecraft
• Experience owning avionics systems across the full mission lifecycle, from architecture and development through qualification, launch, and flight operations
• Ability to make principled engineering trade-offs under schedule pressure
• Experience leading through ambiguity and rapid iteration
• Strong systems thinking and cross-disciplinary collaboration
• Self-starter with demonstrated history of ownership and accountability
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a capacity to identify issues and implement effective solutions

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and strategic direction for the avionics organization, including roadmap development for current (Nova) and next-generation vehicles.
• Own avionics system architecture, requirements, design reviews, verification/validation, and certification/qualification processes to meet mission reliability and reusability goals.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with propulsion, structures, GNC/software, manufacturing, test, and operations teams to ensure seamless vehicle integration.
• Scale avionics production from prototypes to manufacturing, emphasizing design-for-manufacturability, rapid iteration, and cost reduction.
• Build, mentor, and grow a world-class avionics team, fostering a culture of ownership, speed, and technical excellence.
• Manage budgets, schedules, and resource allocation across avionics subsystems and projects.
• Drive risk reduction through hardware-in-the-loop testing, environmental qualification (vibration, thermal, EMI/EMC, radiation), and flight/vehicle-level testing.
• Support mission planning, anomaly resolution, and post-flight data reviews to continuously improve avionics performance across repeated flights.
• Drive execution against aggressive development schedules while maintaining safety and quality.

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: Manager