Lead Mechanical Engineer, Structures

About the Company

Our client is 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 client's 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. They operate as an idea meritocracy in which the best ideas change the company’s direction on a regular basis.

This is a direct hire, permanent placement position for a client of AdAstra Talent Advisors.

Our client is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer to join their team and provide technical leadership for the mechanical design and development of the core technology, the "Node." The Node is a device designed to produce energy in the harshest ocean conditions for extended periods without maintenance.

This role is crucial to the success of their mission. You will be responsible for the hull and the team that forms the backbone of our Nodes.

This is a role that requires deep structural design experience, ability to make outstanding technical contributions, and leadership abilities that are effective in a humble and high performance culture. While defining the design for the Nodes, you will build and manage a team to support the future iterations of the Nodes.

The ideal candidate is a technical expert and a practical builder comfortable with personally conducting detailed design work, values working alongside our manufacturing team, and is a skilled leader who has well developed interpersonal skills and a passion for developing others. You must thrive in a creative, scrappy, and collaborative environment.

Current staff has worked at organizations such as Space

X, Blue Origin, Stoke, Boeing, Virgin Orbit, Virgin Galactic, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, New Relic, Bridgewater, Raytheon, Disney Imagineering, Bridgewater Associates, and the US Army and Air Force, as well as research universities, startups, and small companies across a range of industries. Our client is organized as a public benefit corporation and are backed by leading venture capital firms, private investors, philanthropic investors, and endowments.

They strive to be the best engineering team on the planet and they compensate their engineers accordingly. If you are an excellent engineer and technical leader, regardless of your background, they want you to apply.

• Accountable for the Node Hull structural design and integrity.
• Accountable for the team that defines the Node primary and secondary structures.
• Lead and participate in design reviews with the internal team and interface with external fabricators and vendors.
• Mentor and guide other engineers and designers, fostering a culture of technical excellence.
• Oversee project documentation and create detailed engineering releases using drawings and GD&T as appropriate.
• Partner closely with our Manufacturing and Operations team to produce new Node designs and design increments that achieve targets for cost and performance.
• Develop and maintain expert level use of CAD software personally and within the team for engineering definition and release.

• A degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, naval architecture, marine engineering, or another related engineering discipline.
• Extensive experience designing components, structures, and assemblies from a variety of materials.
• 10+ years of 3D CAD modeling experience.
• 5+ years experience with large scale, safety critical welded steel structures.
• Strong fundamental skills with hand calculations and experience with structural FEA.
• Demonstrated experience building teams, leading, and mentoring other engineers.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to provide guidance to and receive it from engineers, designers, technicians, and suppliers.
• A work history that includes at least five design,…