Marine Recovery Engineer

Stoke Space • Cape Canaveral, FL

10h • $129,150 - $252,105 • Onsite

About The Position

Stoke is building Nova, a fully and rapidly reusable launch vehicle intended to support a vibrant, sustainable, and equitable future through lower-cost, more available, and more reliable space transportation. The Marine Recovery Engineer will build Stoke’s capability to locate, capture, and recover Nova flight hardware from the open ocean and return it safely to port.

This role owns recovery work from concept of operations (CONOPS) through commissioning and live recovery campaigns. The engineer will develop recovery techniques, select and adapt vessels, write procedures, and lead offshore execution. The position is part of a small team spanning Florida and Washington and requires relocation to Cape Canaveral, Florida, with extended periods offshore.

The role suits someone who has personally planned and led non-routine offshore operations, can engineer and execute solutions at sea, and is comfortable developing procedures and techniques from first principles. The posting notes it is not suited to candidates whose offshore experience is mainly routine vessel operations or whose engineering experience is primarily office-based, nor to those seeking project or vessel management work.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of hands-on offshore operations experience with direct involvement in salvage, marine recovery, heavy-lift, towing, or at-sea hardware retrieval.
• Demonstrated experience chartering and directing support vessels and crews for non-routine offshore operations.
• Hands-on experience with offshore lifting, crane operations, rigging, and/or towing operations.
• Proven ability to develop and execute recovery or salvage operations from first principles in dynamic, ambiguous conditions at sea.
• Experience adapting commercial or off-the-shelf vessels and equipment to new uses instead of relying on purpose-built, long-lead assets.
• Bachelor’s degree in naval architecture, marine engineering, mechanical engineering, or a similar field.
• Strong engineering fundamentals across multiple disciplines, such as naval architecture, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering.
• Proven hands-on experience building, operating, or troubleshooting complex systems in a marine environment.
• Ability to troubleshoot problems and implement solutions in real time.
• Ability to prioritize and execute.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to lead and follow.
• Willingness to relocate to Cape Canaveral, Florida.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally and undertake temporary duty offshore for periods of days to weeks.
• Ability to pass a USSF background check for Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
• Ability to hold and maintain a TWIC card.
• Ability to hold a Merchant Mariner Credential.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by the cited U.S. export-control requirements.

Nice To Haves

• At least 10 years of experience in a related role engineering, building, and/or operating high-performing systems in the maritime, offshore, or salvage industry.
• Direct experience recovering high-value, sensitive, or non-standard objects from the water, such as salvage, debris-field recovery, or subsea search and recovery.
• Genuine interest in aerospace and desire to contribute to spaceflight.
• Experience working directly with IACS surveyors.
• Experience working with the U.S. Coast Guard and Port Authorities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own recovery CONOPS for retrieving flight hardware from the ocean across a range of sea states, scenarios, and operating conditions.
• Develop and prove unconventional at-sea capture, lifting, securing, and transit techniques for floating hardware.
• Plan and lead offshore recovery test and demonstration campaigns, iterating on techniques and equipment to build operational maturity for eventual full recovery.
• Lead vessel strategy by identifying, chartering, and integrating support vessels and offshore equipment for each recovery scenario.
• Serve as engineering lead for recovery hardware and systems across structural, mechanical, rigging, lifting, and operational disciplines.
• Develop safety cases, risk assessments, and operational procedures for offshore crews.
• Interface with external vendors, regulatory bodies, and classification societies, including the USCG, ABS, and DNV.
• Author, review, and approve test and operational procedures.
• Develop and manage technical specifications.
• Provide technical direction to operations personnel.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary engineering and operations teams across Florida and Washington.
• Develop an understanding of the Nova launch vehicle and ensure recovery systems enable rapid return to launch.

Benefits

• Equity in the form of stock options for 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.
• Four weeks of paid time off.
• Ten holidays, 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