Chief Engineer - Maritime Systems

EVONA; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

EVONA partners with a fast-growing advanced energy technology company delivering compact power systems for demanding settings in space, maritime, and national security. The role leads as Design Authority for maritime systems, guiding complex programs from requirements to deployment.

You will drive multidisciplinary teams, uphold safety and quality standards, and interface with customers, suppliers, and government stakeholders to transition technology toward scalable production.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in relevant engineering field.
• 10+ years of engineering experience with complex products or systems.
• 5+ years maritime engineering experience across vessels, marine systems, or offshore platforms.
• 3+ years as Chief Engineer, Design Authority, or equivalent senior technical leader.

Responsibilities

• Act as the Design Authority for maritime systems and provide technical leadership.
• Own and interpret high-level engineering requirements, architecture, interfaces, verification, and decisions.
• Lead design reviews, change control, risk management, and governance activities.
• Guide multidisciplinary teams through design, integration, testing, and deployment.
• Review and approve technical work, changes, and subcontractor deliverables.
• Develop and improve engineering processes, configuration management, and quality procedures.
• Interface with customers, suppliers, government stakeholders, and senior leadership.
• Support transition of technology toward scalable manufacturing and production.

Skills

Design Authority

Systems engineering

Technical leadership

Requirements management

Risk management

Stakeholder communication

Maritime engineering experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Marine/Naval Architecture/Nuclear/Systems/Electrical/Aerospace Engineering

Job description

We’re partnering with a fast-growing advanced energy technology company developing compact power systems for some of the world’s most challenging environments, spanning space, maritime, and national security applications.

What you’ll be doing:

• Act as the Design Authority for maritime systems and provide technical leadership across complex development programs
• Own and interpret high-level engineering requirements, architecture, interfaces, verification, validation, and technical decision-making
• Lead design reviews, change control, risk management, technical governance, and operational readiness activities
• Guide multidisciplinary engineering teams through design, integration, testing, commissioning, and deployment
• Review and approve technical work, design changes, requirements, verification activities, and subcontractor deliverables
• Develop and improve engineering processes, configuration management, quality procedures, and technical governance frameworks
• Ensure programs meet applicable safety, environmental, radiation, regulatory, and quality requirements
• Interface directly with customers, suppliers, government stakeholders, subcontractors, and senior leadership
• Support the transition of complex technology toward scalable manufacturing and production

What we’re looking for:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Marine, Naval Architecture, Nuclear, Systems, Electrical, Aerospace Engineering, or similar
• 10+ years of engineering experience developing complex technical products or systems
• 5+ years of direct maritime experience across areas such as vessel design, marine systems, shipboard operations, offshore systems, or maritime platform integration
• 3+ years operating as a Chief Engineer, Design Authority, Engineering Manager, Technical Authority, or equivalent senior technical decision-maker
• Strong systems engineering knowledge across requirements, interfaces, reliability, hazards, verification, validation, and technical risk
• Experience operating within regulated or quality-controlled environments such as AS9100, ISO 9001, NQA-1, NAVSEA, or similar
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams through complex development programs
• Strong customer-facing communication and technical leadership skills

Highly desirable:

Experience with naval nuclear systems, maritime nuclear power, radiological systems, or related nuclear maritime technologies would be particularly valuable. Experience working with government customers, defense organizations, shipyards, regulatory bodies, or classification societies would also be advantageous.