--- title: 'Lead Mechanical Engineer, Structures at Panthalassa' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/lead-mechanical-engineer-structures-panthalassa-portland-9f74xnczhvm4' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-09' --- # Lead Mechanical Engineer, Structures at Panthalassa - **Company:** Panthalassa - **Location:** Portland, OR - **Posted:** 2025-11-25 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/panthalassa/jobs/5720820004 ## Job description ## 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. Our staff have worked at organizations such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, Tesla, Apple, Virgin Orbit, Astra, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, New Relic, Bridgewater, Raytheon, Disney Imagineering, and the US Army and Air Force, as well as research universities, startups, and small companies across a range of industries. ## About the Job We are seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer to join our team and provide technical leadership for the mechanical design and development of our 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 our mission.  You will be responsible for the backbone of the Node, its structural hull. 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 our Nodes, you will also manage and continue to build the team of mechanical engineers supporting its design. The ideal candidate is a technical expert and a practical builder who is comfortable with personally conducting detailed design work, values working alongside our manufacturing team, and is a skilled leader with a passion for developing others. Candidates should have strong interpersonal skills and be able to thrive in a creative, scrappy, and collaborative environment in which the best ideas change the company’s direction on a regular basis. You will own your designs cradle-to-grave, from first concept through fabrication and deployment at sea. If you are an excellent engineer, regardless of your background, we want you to apply. ## Responsibilities - Accountable for the Node’s primary and secondary structures - Accountable for the team that defines the Node primary and secondary structures - Own the design, analysis, and development of Node structures, secondary structures, and subassemblies - 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 Required Qualifications - 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 of 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, build, test, deploy/release/produce cycles for complex systems/vehicles Desired Qualifications - An advanced degree in a relevant engineering field or 5 years of additional experience - 5+ years in a similar role - Proficiency with NX/Teamcenter - Understanding of engineering fundamentals relevant to marine systems (welded structures, mechanical assemblies, hydraulics/pneumatics, industrial automation & data acquisition, etc.) - Experience with a programming language like Python, Julia, or Mathematica - Knowledge of engineering standards such as ASME Y14.5 - The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment - Strong interpersonal, organizational, and presentation skills Additional Requirements - Travel to vendors and test sites as needed. - Intermittently able to work longer hours and weekends to support critical needs. While we expect a lot of each other, we also offer a high degree of autonomy and work-life balance. ## Compensation and Benefits If hired for this full-time role, you will receive: - Cash compensation of $235,000 - $285,000. - Equity in the company. We’re all owners and if we’re successful, this equity should be far and away the most valuable component of your compensation. - A benefits package that helps you take care of yourself and your family, including: - Flexible paid time off - Health insurance (the company pays 100% of gold-level PPO plan for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents) - Dental insurance (the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents) - Vision insurance (the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents) - Disability insurance (the company pays 100% for a policy to provide long-term financial support if you become disabled) - Ability to contribute to tax-advantaged accounts, including 401(k), health FSA, and dependent care FSA - Relocation assistance to facilitate your move to Portland (if needed). Location This position is full-time and on-site at our office in Portland, Oregon. ## About Panthalassa ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Building a planetary-scale renewable energy platform from the ocean to power compute and more, starting with AI data centers. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B) - **Headquarters**: Portland, Oregon, USA - **Founded**: 2016 - **Founders**: Garth Sheldon-Coulson (CEO); co-founders not publicly listed ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Renewable energy / ocean technology - **Target customers**: B2B – enterprises needing clean, low-cost power for compute-intensive workloads (AI training/inference); data center operators - **Mission or purpose statement**: “To build a planetary-scale energy platform that’s clean, sustainable, and low-cost” (public-benefit corporation) ## Products & Services - **Panthalassa Node (Ocean-1 / Ocean-2 / Ocean-3 / Ocean-4)**: A self-propelled, wave-energy device that generates electricity onboard. The electricity powers AI compute modules housed in sealed, seawater-cooled containers below the surface. Nodes are deployed in fleets, communicate via Starlink, and are designed to be ultra-low-cost, zero-emissions, and rapidly scalable. (Type: Hardware + integrated service) ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding raised – $193M (as of May 2026) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Lead investor Peter Thiel; also Leblon Capital, Nimble Partners, Western Technology Investment, Portland Seed Fund, Sozo Ventures, and 27+ others (per CB Insights). Partners include SpaceX (Starlink), major aerospace/tech alumni on team. - **Growth Signals**: - $140M Series B announced May 2026 - 28 open job positions (as of July 2026), spanning engineering, manufacturing, marine operations, finance, IT - Ocean-3 pilot deployment planned for 2026, commercial deployments in 2027 - Transitioning from R&D to mass production and field operations - Team includes alumni from SpaceX, Google, Blue Origin, Apple, Boeing, Amazon, Tesla, NASA, etc. ## Competitive Advantages - **Unique wave-energy design**: No mooring, self-propelled, few moving parts, low maintenance - **Ocean-based compute paradigm**: Eliminates land and grid constraints for data centers; uses seawater for free cooling - **Scalability**: Devices can be mass-produced and deployed in thousands, operating autonomously as a fleet - **Cost advantage**: Claims to produce the “cleanest, cheapest energy on Earth” by avoiding transmission infrastructure and using open-ocean wave resources ## Strategic Focus - **Scale manufacturing**: Building work centers, processes, and test architecture for high-volume production of nodes - **Deploy pilot fleet**: Ocean-3 construction underway; proving commercial readiness in 2026–2027 - **Develop digital thread**: Architecting data flow from engineering through manufacturing, supply chain, quality, operations, and field service - **Expand team**: Hiring across engineering, manufacturing, marine ops, and business functions to support growth ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Public-benefit corporation with a mission-driven, frontier-tech ethos. Values “taking the work seriously, but not ourselves.” Diverse backgrounds from aerospace, software, naval architecture, military, and research. - **Work environment**: Mostly on-site in Portland, OR (some hybrid roles, e.g., FP&A Manager). Strong emphasis on hands-on engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing. - **Notable perks**: Opportunity to work on a novel energy platform from concept through deployment; exposure to cross-disciplinary challenges (mechanical, electrical, marine, software, autonomy); be part of a high-growth startup post-Series B. - **Engineering culture**: Builders encouraged to own projects from design to field; emphasis on simple, manufacturable, reliable systems; use of modern tools and autonomy. ## Sources 1. [Panthalassa.com](https://panthalassa.com) 2. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panthalassa_(company)) 3. [CB Insights](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/panthalassa) 4. [Greenhouse Jobs](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/panthalassa) ## Other roles at Panthalassa - [Electronics Engineering Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/electronics-engineering-technician-panthalassa-portland-wjx7qm56ec8y) — Portland, OR - [Talent & People Operations Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/talent-people-operations-coordinator-panthalassa-portland-t1ckqm5fzqyd) — Portland, OR - [Corporate Network Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/corporate-network-engineer-panthalassa-portland-7s1axts46ejr) — Portland, OR - [EVP, Communications](https://feeny.ai/job/evp-communications-panthalassa-portland-6gct6b56991b) — Portland, OR - [Mechanical Engineer, Marine Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-marine-operations-panthalassa-portland-f1ph507fqcfp) — Portland, OR - [Senior Mechanical Engineer, Marine Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-marine-operations-panthalassa-portland-tnqcsgv7a4ng) — Portland, OR - [Senior Marine Engineer, Marine Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-marine-engineer-marine-operations-panthalassa-portland-t9bdyga8wh26) — Portland, OR - [Executive Assistant to the CEO](https://feeny.ai/job/executive-assistant-to-the-ceo-panthalassa-portland-hrda24e0w7z9) — Portland, OR - [Procurement Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/procurement-specialist-panthalassa-portland-nfrrxrqw1f77) — Portland, OR - [Senior Pilot Production Technician, Electromechanical](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-pilot-production-technician-electromechanical-panthalassa-portland-esc9fgjw4vbq) — Portland, OR