Senior Mechanical Engineer

About the Company

We are a renewable energy and ocean technology company committed to rapidly developing and deploying technologies that will ensure a sustainable future for Earth by unlocking the vast energy potential of its oceans. Our focus is on capturing civilizational levels of ultra-low-cost renewable energy for applications including computing and affordable renewable fuels delivered to shore.

The company is a public benefit corporation headquartered in Portland, Oregon and backed by leading venture capitalists, philanthropic investors, university endowments, and private investment offices. We operate as an idea meritocracy in which the best ideas change the company’s direction on a regular basis.

About the Job

We are developing a core technology, the “Node”, that will operate in the worst conditions the world’s oceans have to offer for years at a time without human maintenance or intervention.

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer, you will spearhead the design of numerous mechanical components and assemblies that must withstand extreme loads and a harsh ocean environment. You will be responsible for subsystems from inception through deployment, including initial trade studies, preliminary and detailed design, lab testing, commissioning, and deployment in the field. This position requires a highly motivated, hands-on engineer who thrives in ambiguity, can execute with autonomy, and is eager to take on end-to-end ownership, defining requirements and architecture and driving through design, prototype testing, and final build. We expect you to be especially strong in analysis and to gravitate toward first-principles, fundamental-physics approaches to problem solving.

Candidates should have strong interpersonal skills and be able to thrive in a creative, scrappy, and collaborative environment. If you are an excellent engineer, regardless of your background, we want you to apply.

Responsibilities:

Serve as responsible engineer for core technology subsystems, which could include: primary and secondary structures, pressure- and seawater-tolerant electronics packaging, fluid systems, lab-based testing apparatuses, cable routing and layout, and ground-support equipment

Create and maintain component and assembly CAD models using NX and Teamcenter

Create detailed component and assembly drawings with a strong grasp of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD T) and tolerance stack-ups

Drive design trade studies and engineering reviews, helping document decisions and technical findings

Drive material selection and corrosion-conscious detailing for long-duration seawater service

Interface with external fabricators and vendors

Work with, and direct, a skilled technician workforce to carry out prototyping, testing, fabrication, and development of operational and maintenance procedures

Mentor less-experienced engineers and set design and analysis standards the team builds on

Required Qualifications:

A degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, naval architecture, marine engineering, or other engineering discipline

Extensive experience designing components, structures, and assemblies from a variety of materials (steel, aluminum, titanium, plastics, composites, etc.)

5+ years 3D CAD modeling experience

Strong use of hand calculations for structural analysis

Experience with structural FEA

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Ability to provide guidance and technical material to engineers, designers, technicians, and suppliers, adeptly receiving and incorporating their guidance and technical information into your approach

Confidence working independently to drive a project forward

A work history encompassing at least five design, build, test, deploy/release/produce cycles for different projects

Desired Qualifications:

Advanced degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, naval architecture, ocean engineering, or a related field, or 5 years additional experience in lieu of an advanced degree

At least 5 years in a similar role

Experience designing packaging for electronics exposed to the marine environment

Experience with sheet metal part design

Experience with sealing methods including o-rings and gaskets

Experience designing piping systems that include pumps, valves, sensors, etc.

Hands-on hardware experience performing fabrication, assembly and/or testing in a professional, academic or recreational setting

Experience with rapid prototyping processes (3D printing, CNC-machining, laser cutting)

Familiarity with instrumentation and control components (pressure transducers, thermocouples, RTDs, strain gauges, accelerometers, flow meters, load cells, relays, solenoids, pneumatic valves)

Experience with NX/Teamcenter

Experience with finite element analysis (NX NASTRAN, FEMAP) software packages

Experience using Python, Julia, MATLAB, Mathematica, or another similar programming language for data review and analysis

Knowledge of engineering standards and b…