Flight Safety Analyst

About the role

At Stoke, we believe a thriving space economy will enable a vibrant, sustainable, and equitable future here on Earth. That is why we're building Nova, our fully and rapidly reusable launch vehicle. Designed for daily flight, Nova tackles the core challenges of space transportation by reducing cost, increasing availability, and improving reliability. By radically lowering launch costs and increasing flight cadence, we're helping create a truly scalable space industry.

Our team is mission-driven, collaborative, and empowered to take ownership of their work. If you want to work alongside some of the most dedicated and talented people on Earth, we'd love to have you join us.

About the role

As the first dedicated Flight Safety Analyst and part of a small and agile GNC team, you will own the development of simulation modeling capabilities and will produce analysis artifacts demonstrating that Nova will launch, reenter, and land both the first and second stages reliably while also protecting public safety.

This includes modeling of potential failure scenarios, breakup and debris modeling, propagation of debris trajectories after failure scenarios, and calculation of expected casualties from malfunction scenarios. You will work with Design Reliability and System Safety engineers to deliver the complete story of how Nova operations protect public and range safety to the FAA, Space Force, launch service customers, and Stoke leadership.

You must be ready to stay focused, move fast, self-direct, and learn on the fly.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop models to simulate vehicle functional failure modes and integrate those models with the core Nova GNC simulation
• Perform Monte Carlo simulations to determine statistical probabilities of various trajectory outcomes after certain vehicle functional failures
• Develop a model of debris generated from various vehicle breakup scenarios and model the propagation of debris to impact with the ground
• Develop a model of expected casualties from various failure scenarios given the debris impact area and a model of the population distribution
• Partner with Design Reliability and System Safety engineers to determine the probability of certain vehicle functional failures, inform overall expected casualties for Nova flight operations, and ensure that expected casualties remain within acceptable limits
• Communicate analysis results, discuss feedback, and refine analysis approaches with external entities including FAA, Space Force, launch service customers, and others

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or similar field
• 5+ years of experience in an engineering role on a complex product requiring high performance, high reliability, and a rapid development process
• Exceptional command of fundamentals of flight dynamics and statistics
• Familiarity with fundamentals of orbital mechanics and orbital trajectory design
• Experience with simulation and modeling of physical systems
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Ability to lead and follow

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in aerospace engineering or similar field
• Experience with launch and/or reentry licensing with the FAA per 14 CFR Part 450
• Experience with flight safety analysis with the Space Force per SSCMAN 91-710 Vol. 2
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink

Benefits

• Equity - We are pleased to offer equity in the form of stock options to all 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 Parental Leave
• On-site gym or monthly wellness stipend (depending on location)
• Dog friendly offices!

Compensation

• Target Levels: Level 3: $129,150 - $193,620
• Level 4: $151,305 - $252,105
• Level 5: $176,505 - $327,810

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. (i.e., current Green Card holder), or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).