Full-Time

Senior Valves and Actuators Engineer

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

Category
Mechanical Engineering (2)
,
Required Skills
Autodesk CFD
FEM/FEA

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Requirements
  • Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or similar
  • 5+ years of experience in design, build, and testing of valves for aerospace or industrial applications
  • Hands on experience performing fabrication and assembly of components
  • Exceptional command of fundamentals, including compressible flow, thermodynamics, structures, control systems, cryogenics, and instrumentation
  • Understanding of revision-controlled P&ID’s
  • Understanding of aerospace standard fasteners, seals, tubing, fittings, and commercial off the shelf hardware
  • Excellent written and verbal communication
Responsibilities
  • Collect design requirements from multidisciplinary teams, and use these to create concepts for valves and actuators
  • Design components for use on our Nova launch vehicle, model parts using Siemens NX CAD software
  • Perform structural analysis on components using hand calcs and FEA software
  • Perform fluids analysis using hand calcs and CFD software
  • Create manufacturing planning for building components in a high-rate production environment. Be involved in valve and actuator builds on the production floor
  • Create procedures and execute testing for valves and actuators, including acceptance testing, development testing, and qualification
  • 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 GNC teams to develop CONOPs and troubleshoot hardware issues on the vehicle
Desired Qualifications
  • Proficiency with instrumentation including pressure transducers, thermocouples, load cells, accelerometers, and flow meters
  • Proficiency with fluid analysis tools (Siemens AMESim, REFPROP, Excel, Matlab, or equivalent)
  • Proficiency in GD&T, tolerance stackups, and material selection
  • Extensive experience with CAD tools and configuration management (Siemens NX and Teamcenter 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 D

Total Funding

$1.4B

Headquarters

Seattle, Washington

Founded

2019

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Nova cuts cost to orbit by 20x and reduces atmospheric impact by 98%
  • Selected for Space Force's Orbital Services Program, validating national security role
  • Secured $350M Series D extension in early 2026, totaling $860M to accelerate Nova

What critics are saying

  • First launch delayed to 2026, risking 60–80% customer commitment failure within 6 months
  • Falcon 9 dominates 95% of US medium-lift launches, crowding out Stoke's market entry
  • $1.34B funding insufficient if first orbital test fails, causing existential capital shortfall

What makes Stoke Space unique

  • Builds 100% reusable Nova rocket with aircraft-like frequency, unlike Falcon 9's partial reuse
  • Enables dynamic space ops like asset capture and return via fully reusable upper stage
  • Developed full-flow staged combustion engine in under 18 months with fewer than 10 people

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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

0%

1 year growth

-1%

2 year growth

0%
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...

Benzinga
Oct 8th, 2025
Stoke Space Raises $510M for Nova Rocket

Stoke Space Technologies raised $510 million in Series D funding, led by Thomas Tull's US Innovative Technology Fund, with a $100 million debt facility from Silicon Valley Bank. This brings their total capital to $990 million. The funds will scale manufacturing of their fully reusable Nova launch vehicle and activate Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral by 2026. The U.S. Space Force awarded Stoke a National Security Space Launch contract, highlighting the demand for medium-lift capacity.

Tech Funding News
Oct 8th, 2025
Stoke Space eyes $500M, valuing its fully reusable Nova rocket startup at nearly $2 billion — TFN

US-based rocket maker Stoke Space is reportedly preparing for a new funding round that could bring in as much as $500 million.