Director of Engineering

This position oversees R&D, prototype development, and commercialization. You’ll manage mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing engineers while staying close to the work — hands-on when needed, but focused on leading the technical direction, quality, and delivery. You’ll collaborate directly with leadership on design priorities, budgets, and project milestones.

We’re looking for a Director of Engineering who brings technical depth, mature judgment, and leadership presence — an “adult in the room” who can bridge engineering execution with disciplined management. This person should have a strong engineering foundation, the ability to think first-principles, and the experience to guide talented but less seasoned engineers toward sound decisions.

This is a role for someone who has seen enough designs fail to know what actually works — who can teach that discipline to others and ensure the team builds smart, manufacturable systems that perform in the field.

• 15+ years of experience in mechanical or marine systems development (hydrokinetic, subsea, or energy systems a plus)
• Proficient in CAD (SolidWorks preferred) and able to review or produce detailed mechanical drawings
• Strong design and analysis background with excellent judgment in complex tradeoffs
• Experience in marine, subsea, or unmanned underwater vehicle design
• Solid understanding of manufacturability, reliability, and design verification
• Prior work at established engineering or manufacturing companies with strong design rigor
• Experience working directly with the Department of Energy, DoD, or national labs
• Excellent technical writing, communication, and vendor coordination skills
• BS or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, or similar discipline
• Comfortable managing technical staff and mentoring younger engineers
• Startup experience a plus — particularly in environments that balance hands-on engineering with structured execution
• US citizenship required
• Familiar with Matlab, LabView, MathCAD, or similar analytical tools