Marine Controls and Communications Lead

Ocean Atomics; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Ocean Atomics is building the digital nervous system for marine nuclear plant integration, leading DCS, automation, and secure communications across vessels. You will craft the distributed control architecture from concept through class and flag-state approvals, working with marine engineering, naval architecture, and our nuclear integration team.

The ideal candidate treats cybersecurity and automation risk as measurable and bounded, maintains clear interface boundaries, and collaborates to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Electrical, Computer, or Systems Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years leading system-level controls, automation, or industrial network design for marine/offshore assets.
• Expertise in Modbus, Profibus, EtherNet/IP; PLC/DCS programming; maritime cybersecurity (IEC 62443, ABS).
• Knowledge of classification society rules and flag state regulatory processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the engineering, configuration, and tuning of distributed control systems (DCS), machinery automation loops, and instrumentation arrays across the vessel.
• Architect and secure the network backbones, telemetry links, and data transmission pathways from concept through deployment.
• Define cyber-secure interface standards and protocols for safe reactor telemetry integration.
• Design monitoring bridges and data links connecting marine control stations with reactor safety systems.
• Develop modular, reproducible control topologies to reduce wiring and integration complexity.
• Generate control logic diagrams and cybersecurity risk assessments for ABS/LR/USCG reviews.

Skills

Electrical Engineering

Systems Engineering

Industrial networking

PLC/DCS programming

Maritime cybersecurity

Classification society rules

Education

Bachelors or higher in Electrical/Computer/Systems Engineering

Job description

The ocean is the largest undeveloped frontier on earth — and the next chapter of abundant energy will be written at sea. We're building the infrastructure to power it.

About Ocean Atomics (OA)

Ocean Atomics is an American company designing, licensing, and assembling a standardized nuclear electric power plant and the surrounding support systems for maritime applications. We will install these plants on any vessel built to our nuclear-ready standards, and will provide end-to-end sustainment in our planned nuclear lifecycle dockyard. We will help develop the licensed operators to unlock this new capability for your energy intensive application at sea. To move fast and to lead the creation of this new market, we are leveraging the compact, proven systems enabled by water‑cooled reactors.

Our mission

Scale nuclear energy. Power generations.

Our vision

A maritime commons thriving with abundant, economical, modern, and safe nuclear‑powered activity — built, serviced, and staffed by re‑industrialized American shipyards and people.

Role Summary

As Controls and Communications Lead, you lead the instrumentation, machinery automation, and secure communication architecture for the vessels that carry Ocean Atomics' nuclear electric plant. Where other marine engineering branches handle fluid networks or high‑voltage distribution, you build the digital nervous system — the distributed control systems (DCS), network backbones, and telemetry links that let a conventional vessel be engineered for clean plant integration from the start, not retrofitted. You lead these systems from initial concept through class and flag‑state approval, working closely with marine engineering, naval architecture, and our nuclear integration team. The cyber‑secure interface standards you define become the boundary that lets reactor telemetry integrate into vessel automation safely.

The ideal candidate treats cybersecurity and automation risk as something to characterize and contain rather than pretend away and holds a firm interface boundary without turning collaboration into a standoff.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the engineering, configuration, and tuning of distributed control systems (DCS), machinery automation loops, and instrumentation arrays across the vessel.
• Architect and secure the network backbones, telemetry links, and data transmission pathways that carry vessel and machinery data, from initial concept through deployment.
• Define the cyber‑secure interface standards and hardware/software protocols that let conventional vessel automation safely accept reactor telemetry when the plant is integrated.
• Design the monitoring bridges and data links that connect conventional marine control stations with reactor safety systems, working with our nuclear integration team.
• Develop modular, reproducible control topologies that reduce shipyard wiring and integration complexity and improve system resilience.
• Generate the control logic diagrams, network architecture topologies, cybersecurity risk assessments, and technical data packages that clear classification society (ABS, LR, etc.) and statutory flag state (USCG, etc.) reviews.

What You Bring

Required

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Track record leading system‑level controls, automation, or industrial network design from concept through deployment. Typically built over 8+ years in marine automation, distributed control systems, or secure industrial/cyber‑physical networks for commercial vessels, naval ships, or offshore energy assets. Depth of experience, design cycles, and successful leadership of major controls projects is valued above years of experience.
• Deep proficiency in industrial network architectures (e.g., Modbus, Profibus, EtherNet/IP), PLC/DCS programming, and maritime cybersecurity frameworks (e.g., IEC 62443, ABS cyber requirements).
• Working command of classification society rules for automated and computerized systems (ABS, LR, etc.) and flag state regulatory processes.

Preferred

• Experience with cyber‑physical security for safety‑critical or highly regulated systems.
• Background in modular ship design or repeatable fabrication and integration processes.
• Cross‑functional experience partnering with marine engineering, electrical, and naval architecture teams on integrated vessel designs.

Export control notice

This position involves access to information subject to U.S. export control laws (ITAR and/or EAR). Any offer is contingent on your ability to work in compliance with these laws, and Ocean Atomics LLC may apply for U.S. government authorization where needed. We evaluate all applicants regardless of citizenship or national origin, except where required by law.

Why this matters

Every industry on Earth needs scalable, clean energy, and the ocean is the ideal place to unlock it. Joining Ocean Atomics means building real, lasting infrastructure — the kind that powers generations. The world needs abundant energy. Let’s make it happen.

Ocean Atomics LLC is an equal opportunity employer.

We are committed to a workplace free of discrimination and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations; if you need an accommodation during the application process, contact [e-mail].