SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 123,480 - 289,380 / annual
STOKE Space is building Nova, a fully reusable launch vehicle designed for daily flight to radically lower space launch costs and increase flight cadence. As a Vehicle Software Engineer focused on Rust Controls, you will design and build an automation framework that enables end users across the company to compose vehicle behavior from modular building blocks. Your work will directly support benchtop checkouts, engine hotfires, and flight objectives.
You will own the design of useful abstractions for hardware control behavior in a distributed system, creating user-facing guardrails for an autonomy ecosystem that balances operational flexibility with appropriate safety restrictions. You'll develop both ground and vehicle automation software, build comprehensive software tests, and support hardware testing efforts. This role requires you to dogfood your own building blocks as your software commands physical hardware systems.
Key responsibilities include designing abstractions for hardware control in distributed systems, developing ground and vehicle automation, creating guardrails for autonomy, building software tests, and supporting hardware test operations. You must be comfortable staying focused, moving fast, self-directing, and learning continuously in a mission-driven environment.
Required qualifications: 2+ years of professional software development, controls, or systems engineering experience; proficiency with Rust and Python; strong systems-thinking with ability to navigate complex software-hardware interactions; strong mathematical background; ability to prioritize, self-direct, and seek help when needed. Preferred: control theory and laws experience; software language or compiler background.
The role offers competitive compensation (Level 2: $123,480–$185,220; Level 3: $154,350–$231,525; Level 4: $192,885–$289,380), equity as stock options for all full-time employees, comprehensive benefits including medical/dental/vision, 401(k) with match, 4 weeks PTO, 10 paid holidays, paid family leave, and wellness benefits. ITAR compliance required: must be U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or eligible for State Department authorization.
