Full-Time

Senior Valves & Actuators Engineer

Updated on 9/4/2026

Stoke Space

Stoke Space

201-500 employees

Launches reusable rockets; analyzes satellite data

Compensation Overview

$151.3k - $327.8k/yr

+ Equity/stock options

No H1B Sponsorship

Kent, WA, USA

In Person

US Citizenship Required

Bachelor's

Category
Mechanical Engineering (1)
Required Skills
CAD
GD&T
MATLAB
Autodesk CFD
Siemens Teamcenter
Excel/Numbers/Sheets

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Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a similar field.
  • At least 5 years of experience designing, building, and testing valves for aerospace or industrial applications.
  • Hands-on experience fabricating and assembling components.
  • A strong command of compressible flow, thermodynamics, structures, control systems, cryogenics, and instrumentation fundamentals.
  • An understanding of revision-controlled P&IDs.
  • An understanding of aerospace standard fasteners, seals, tubing, fittings, and commercial off-the-shelf hardware.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Authorization to work in the United States and authorization to access export-controlled technology and technical data, as required under ITAR.
  • Satisfactory completion of reference and background checks and the ability to prove identity and United States work authorization.
Responsibilities
  • Collect design requirements from multidisciplinary teams and use them to create valve and actuator concepts.
  • Design components for the Nova launch vehicle and model parts using Siemens NX computer-aided design software.
  • Perform structural analysis on components using hand calculations and finite element analysis software.
  • Perform fluid analysis using hand calculations and computational fluid dynamics software.
  • Create manufacturing plans for building components in a high-rate production environment and participate in valve and actuator builds on the production floor.
  • Create procedures and execute acceptance, development, and qualification testing for valves and actuators.
  • Coordinate directly with suppliers to procure parts.
  • Incorporate design-for-manufacturing best practices into designs to improve production efficiency.
  • Work with vehicle fluids, engines, and guidance, navigation, and control teams to develop concepts of operations and troubleshoot vehicle hardware issues.
Desired Qualifications
  • Proficiency with instrumentation including pressure transducers, thermocouples, load cells, accelerometers, and flow meters.
  • Proficiency with fluid analysis tools such as Siemens AMESim, REFPROP, Excel, MATLAB, or equivalent.
  • Proficiency in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, tolerance stackups, and material selection.
  • Extensive experience with computer-aided design tools and configuration management; Siemens NX and Teamcenter are preferred.

Stoke Space Technologies builds 100% reusable rockets to provide daily access to Earth's orbit and offers satellite data services for environmental monitoring. Rockets launch, land, and are reused, while data from missions like SWOT and MAIA are delivered to clients to study freshwater, oceans, aerosols, health, and climate issues. The company distinguishes itself by pairing frequent launch capability with analytics-ready satellite data to reduce costs and expand access for regular, data-driven environmental monitoring. Its goal is to make space access routine and to use space-based data to promote sustainable growth and environmental preservation on Earth.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Series E

Total Funding

$2.4B

Headquarters

Seattle, Washington

Founded

2019

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Stoke closed an $860 million Series D in February 2026, totaling $1.34 billion.
  • Bloomberg reported an August 2026 $1 billion raise at a $9 billion valuation.
  • First Nova liftoff from Cape Canaveral is expected in 2026, compressing commercialization.

What critics are saying

  • Nova still lacks an orbital flight; one failure can freeze fundraising and contracts in 2026.
  • SpaceX, Blue Origin, and ULA already control launch demand before Stoke proves daily cadence.
  • A $9 billion valuation before revenue makes a missed 2026 launch existential.

What makes Stoke Space unique

  • Nova targets fully reusable first and second stages, a rare architecture beyond SpaceX.
  • NASA's June 2026 partnership validates Stoke's reentry technology and deepens test access.
  • Launch Complex 14 and Space Force backing give Stoke a government-grade launch foothold.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

401(k) Company Match

Paid Vacation

Flexible Work Hours

Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

1%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

0%
Bloomberg
Aug 13th, 2026
Stoke Space Is Raising $1 Billion to Fund Flagship Nova Rocket

Stoke Space Technologies Inc. is raising $1 billion to accelerate development and production of a fully reusable rocket to challenge Elon Musk’s SpaceX, people familiar with the matter said.

Associated Press
Jul 8th, 2026
Former OpenAI executive Kevin Weil joins Stoke Space board as reusable rocket firm eyes commercial operations

Stoke Space has appointed Kevin Weil to its board of directors. Weil brings over 20 years of technology leadership experience from roles at OpenAI, Planet Labs, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Most recently, he served as vice president of science at OpenAI, focusing on applying AI to scientific discovery. Stoke Space is developing Nova, a fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle. The company aims to provide low-cost, on-demand space transport with aircraft-like frequency. Weil was part of management teams that took Twitter and Planet public and helped scale Instagram and ChatGPT into global platforms. Stoke's technology development has been funded by the US Space Force, DIU, NASA, and the National Science Foundation. Weil holds degrees in physics and mathematics from Harvard and Stanford.

Business Wire
Feb 11th, 2026
Stoke Space Technologies Extends Previously Announced Series D Financing to $860 Million

Stoke Space Technologies extends previously announced Series D Financing to $860 million.

Benzinga
Feb 10th, 2026
Stoke Space raises $860M in extended Series D to accelerate Nova rocket development

Stoke Space Technologies has extended its Series D funding round to $860 million, up from the $510 million initially announced in October 2025. The rocket company is developing fully and rapidly reusable medium-lift launch vehicles. The original funding was earmarked for completing Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and expanding production capacity for its Nova launch vehicle. The additional capital will accelerate future elements of the company's product roadmap. Founded by CEO Andy Lapsa, Stoke has now raised $1.34 billion in total funding. The company is backed by the US Space Force, Defence Innovation Unit, NASA and the National Science Foundation, amongst other government and private partners. Terms of the funding extension were not disclosed.

Stoke Space
Oct 8th, 2025
Stoke Raises $510 Million to Scale Manufacturing of Fully reusable Nova Launch vehicle | Stoke Space / 100% reusable rockets / USA

October 8, 2025 — We’re pleased to announce that as of September 23, we have raised $510 million in Series D funding led by Thomas Tull’s US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT) in conjunction with a $100...