Job Description

About AdAstra

AdAstra Talent Advisors is a boutique firm which partners with elite startups to headhunt for their most critical technical roles in Hard-tech: Space, Climate, Defense. This role is with a confidential client company based in Portland, OR.

About the Company:

The open ocean is Earth’s largest and most power-dense renewable energy resource. Our client is harnessing that resource to generate the cheapest energy on the planet. Their mission is to provide abundant and affordable clean energy for everyone.

This role is based in Portland, OR. More company details will be shared during an initial call.

About the Role

Their core technology is the node, a device that produces energy in the ocean’s harshest conditions for years at a time without human maintenance or intervention. They are seeking a skilled and eager Senior Mechanical Engineer to join them on their journey to high volume manufacturing of fleets of nodes.

This role sits at the intersection of node design and manufacturing development. The Senior Mechanical Engineer, Manufacturing Systems will be fully embedded in the node mechanical design team, helping transition designs into volume manufacturing. This engineer will spend considerable hands-on time with local fabrication partners, provide detailed design for manufacturing (DFM) input to the node engineering team, help shape node design, and drive development of pilot manufacturing processes and equipment. Lastly, this role will help develop the longer-term manufacturing strategy, line, and equipment. Success will require hands-on, analytical, and detailed design, as well as effective project management.

This staff have worked at organizations such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, Tesla, Apple, Virgin Orbit, Virgin Galactic, 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. They are organized as a public benefit corporation and are backed by leading venture capital firms, private investors, philanthropic investors, and endowments. Our client strives to be the best engineering team on the planet and they compensate their team members accordingly.

Responsibilities

• Become the technical expert on the processes, equipment, and techniques used by existing fabrication partners and of those in analogous manufacturing processes from other industries
• Develop the vision for manufacturing at scale in close collaboration with the node design team
• Fully understand the processes and requirements for building core node shapes and structures
• Characterize processes to inform specification development, design best practices, cost structures, and future manufacturing site requirements
• Develop bespoke manufacturing processes and equipment as needed
• Develop pilot manufacturing processes and requisite equipment
• Manage full scope of custom designed hardware including ideation, concept development, detailed design, analysis, procurement, vendor management, assembly, install, commissioning, and pilot production ramp
• Establish strategies for future high volume manufacturing systems and processes
• Provide DFM feedback to the node design team, ensuring that nodes can be produced cheaply and quickly as we transition to high volume manufacturing

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent experience
• 7+ years experience as a hands-on mechanical/manufacturing/design engineer working on mechanical and/or electromechanical systems
• Strong foundation in mechanical design fundamentals, solid mechanics, material selection, prototyping, testing methods, and fabrication processes
• Experience with 3D CAD modeling (Siemens NX preferred), drafting (GD&T fundamentals), and PLM (team center)
• Able to independently identify, own, and drive complex engineering workstreams
• Comfortable with broad scope definition and to-be-defined requirements
• Strong attention to detail
• Results- and data-driven; able to effect change based on data
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Collaborative, team-player
• Ability to work cross-functionally and lead multidisciplinary project teams
• Ability to identify issues and develop corrective measures to resolve
• Tendency to remain engaged, initiative-taking, and positive in tough circumstances, owning assignments and taking full accountability for their success
• Ability to work well under pressure while managing competing demands and tight deadlines
• Able to work in a dynamic environment, occasionally requiring travel extended hours

Desired Qualifications

• Experience developing high volume equipment in automotive, roll-to-roll, oil & gas, wind turbine monopile, process industries, or equivalent
• Experience in pneumatics, hydraulics, fluid systems, heavy steel manufacturing, welding, or metal forming (press brake and plate rolls)

The above qualifications are desired, not required. We encourage you to apply if you are a strong candidate with only some of the desired skills and experience listed.

Compensation and Benefits

If hired for this full-time role, you will receive:

• Cash compensation of $150,000 - $250,000
• Equity in the company. They are all owners and if they are 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 33% for full time employees and 100% for 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 is an on-site position. The offices, lab, and shop are located in Portland, Oregon.

Company Description

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

AdAstra is building thriving teams within Hard-tech: Space, Climate, and Defense.

Our commitment is to curate and close premier talent for our partners, achieved via specialized technical screening, personalized culture assessment, and high-touch candidate engagement. We are motivated to foster boundless team satisfaction and catalyze innovation for future generations, enabling inconceivable technology from Earth, to the stars.

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