Senior AI Software Engineer

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.DescriptionReusable launch systems are the key to seamlessly connecting Earth and space. An instrumental ingredient to making reusable launch vehicles is the ability to move fast. That is our goal for Boltline by Stoke Space, our commercial software platform that helps advanced hardware manufacturing teams integrate, track, iterate, build, and test efficiently. As a Senior AI Engineer on the Boltline team, you will design, build, and deploy intelligent systems that augment our platform's capabilities—from agentic workflows that automate complex manufacturing processes to RAG pipelines that surface critical institutional knowledge. You'll architect evaluation frameworks to ensure AI reliability, build developer tooling that empowers the team, and integrate LLMs into production systems that accelerate hardware development. The ideal candidate demonstrates deep expertise in applied AI/ML, a high degree of ownership, and curiosity—balancing fast execution with robust, production-grade engineering. ResponsibilitiesDesign and implement agentic systems and workflows that automate complex, multi-step manufacturing and engineering processes Build and maintain RAG pipelines leveraging vector databases to enable intelligent search and retrieval Develop comprehensive evaluation frameworks (evals) to measure, monitor, and improve AI system performance, accuracy, and reliability Create developer tooling, SDKs, and internal platforms that accelerate AI adoption across the engineering organization Integrate LLM APIs and orchestration frameworks into production applications Design end-to-end features across the stack using React, TypeScript, GraphQL, and Postgres Lead technical design discussions and contribute to architectural decisions for AI-powered features Partner with product and hardware teams to identify high-impact opportunities for AI augmentation Mentor engineers on AI/ML best practices through code reviews, pairing, and design collaboration Participate in Boltline Operational Excellence including participating in on-call rotation and other operational activities Qualifications4+ years of professional software development experience Hands-on experience building agentic systems, autonomous workflows, or AI-powered automation Experience building RAG architectures, integrating vector databases, and deploying semantic search implementations Experience designing and implementing evaluation frameworks for LLM-based systems Proficiency with full-stack development: TypeScript, React, GraphQL, and relational databases Familiarity with LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) and orchestration frameworks Proven ability to own features from concept through deployment and iteration Excellent collaboration and communication skills within cross-functional teams Comfort working in a fast-paced, evolving environment with a focus on delivering impact Preferred QualificationsDegree in computer science or related field/experience Experience with prompt/context engineering and fine-tuning Background in building developer tools, CLIs, or internal platforms Familiarity with Next.js, Apollo (Client/Server), Hasura, or similar Experience with Docker, Kubernetes/ECS, and AWS infrastructure Familiarity with event-driven architectures using Temporal, Kafka, or similar Hands-on experience with observability and monitoring for AI systems Exposure to manufacturing, aerospace, or complex physical systems Interest in aerospace/manufacturing workflows BenefitsEquity – 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! CompensationTarget Levels:Level 3 Range: $154,350 - $231,525Level 4 Range: $192,885 - $289,380Level 5 Range: $231,525 - $347,235Our 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 RequirementsTo 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 backgroundchecks, 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.Candidate Rights & AccommodationsIf you require a reasonable accommodation to complete the application or participate in the interview process, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io. Requests will be handled in accordance with applicable laws. Please do not include medical or other confidential information in your initial request.For more information about your rights, please refer to the "Know Your Rights" notice here. E-VerifyStoke Space uses E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.