Avionics Electrical Design Engineer - Motor Controls
STOKE Space Technologies
At Stoke, we believe that a thriving space economy leads to a vibrant, sustainable, and equitable future here on Earth. That is why we are building our fully and rapidly reusable vehicle, Nova. It is designed to fly daily and solve the core challenges of space transportation – it reduces cost, increases availability, and enhances reliability. By radically lowering the cost and increasing the cadence of launch, we’re able to create a truly scalable space industry.
Our team is mission-driven, collaborative, and empowered with ownership of their work. If you want to work with some of the most dedicated and talented people on Earth, come join us.
Description
Motor control systems are fundamental to the success of highly reusable, operable, and reliable space systems. As an Electrical Design Engineer – Motor Controls, you will be responsible for designing, testing, and qualifying the electronics that drive electro-mechanical actuators used for thrust vector control (TVC), engine throttle valves, and aerodynamic surface actuators.
You will work closely with the engines, fluids, avionics, and production teams to develop state-of-the-art solutions to challenging problems. You will own the development path for motor controllers - pushing designs to their limits through testing and iteration — and help establish actuators as a core competency at Stoke.
Responsibilities
- Designing, tuning, testing, and qualifying motor control electronics on the NOVA reusable launch vehicle
- Define, design, manufacture, and test control electronics hardware
- Drive designs through the full lifecycle: concept, prototyping, testing, and production release
- Collaborate with valve and engine design teams to define sizing and performance requirements based on loads, rates, and redundancy requirements
- Perform trade studies on actuation approaches for electromechanical mechanisms
- Apply Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles and partner with manufacturing to refine designs
- Write and execute build, acceptance, qualification, and system-level test procedures
- Coordinate with vendors and manage procurement activities
- Lead anomaly investigations and failure analysis to identify root cause and corrective actions
- Perform hands-on fabrication, wiring, debugging, light machining, and hardware bring-up as needed
- Support test and launch operations
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum of 3 years of experience designing, building, or testing electromechanical actuators and/or control electronics
- B.S. degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, or Aerospace Engineering (or equivalent
- Ability to work primarily on-site at Stoke’s headquarters in Kent, WA
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity with electric motors, motor drives, and motion control technologies (BLDC/PMSM motors, motor controllers, encoders, resolvers, lead/ball screws, gearboxes, bearings)
- Ability to size motors, controllers, encoders, gears, ball screw assemblies, and bearings (roller, needle, tapered, etc.)
- Experience with Altium for PCB design
- Experience with MCAD tools and configuration management systems (Siemens NX and Teamcenter preferred)
- Experience qualifying hardware for launch vehicle environments (e.g., SMC-S-016, MIL-STD-810)
- Hands-on experience with fabrication and assembly of electromechanical systems
- Experience with torque and force sensing technologies and instrumentation
- Experience with thermal analysis and design
- Strong first-principles understanding of electrical and mechanical design best practices
- Ability to write software for test automation, data analysis, and validation
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Strong attention to detail
- Demonstrated leadership ability
- Ability to execute effectively within a team
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!
Compensation
Target Levels:
- Level 1 Range: $95,550 - $120,645
- Level 2 Range: $109,725 - $148,470
- Level 3 Range: $129,150 - $193,620
Our job posts are intentionally written to attract a wide variety of experience levels, and we make decisions about the right fit on a per-candidate basis.
Your actual level and base salary will be decided based on your specific experience and skill level.
ITAR Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Equal Opportunity
The Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including with respect to disability and veteran status. It is committed to compliance with all equal opportunity laws, including the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and Title VII. It does not discriminate on the basis of nationality, race, citizenship, immigration status, or any other protected class when it comes to employment practices, including hiring.
Employment at the Company is contingent upon satisfactory completion of reference and background checks, and on your ability to prove your identity and authorization to work in the U.S. for the Company. Employees must comply with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services employment verification requirements, and, therefore, they must complete an Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 at the start of employment and re-verify authorization to work periodically.
Separate from this I-9 process, this position entails access to certain technology and technical data that is restricted under U.S. export control laws and regulations. Employment or continued employment may be conditioned on your legal authorization to work with or have access to export control materials as necessary to perform your job.
E-Verify
Stoke Space uses E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.