Senior Structural Engineer

Panthalassa; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Panthalassa, a renewable energy and ocean technology company, is seeking a Senior Structural Engineer to lead structural analysis across complex systems. You will drive algorithm development, perform detailed stress and fatigue analyses, and guide design decisions for robust, manufacturable solutions in challenging offshore environments.

The role emphasizes first-principles problem solving, collaboration across teams, and hands-on use of FEA tools and scripting to optimize performance and cost.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• Advanced knowledge in structural analysis techniques, including hand analyses and computer tools.
• Experience evaluating parts/assemblies with structural testing.
• Working knowledge of FEA codes and pre/post-processing (Nastran preferred).
• Solid coding abilities with Python, Julia, Mathematica, or similar for data review and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Develop algorithms/software to automate structural sizing across millions of design endpoints.
• Work with Nastran input/output for FEA analyses and scripts.
• Generate and evaluate load spectra from test and simulation results.
• Perform stress hand-calculations and fatigue/damage tolerance analyses.
• Lead stress analysis for subsystems and interface with fabricators and vendors.
• Drive structural design for robust end-products and manufacturability.
• Utilize Femap, NX-Simcenter, and internal FEA tools for linear, nonlinear, and dynamic analyses.
• Use NX and Teamcenter to facilitate design changes and stress evaluation.
• Participate in design reviews and coordinate with internal teams.

Skills

FEA

Python

Nastran

Structural analysis

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX

Femap

Teamcenter

Job description

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.

About the Job

We are developing a core technology that will operate in the worst conditions the world's oceans have to offer for years at a time without human maintenance or intervention. As Senior Structural Engineer, you will spearhead the structural analysis of numerous mechanical systems and help develop innovative methods and tools to select the best designs across a design space of millions of possibilities.

You will be a key part of the team responsible for the development of algorithms, pipelines, and other software to drive efficient structural analysis and cost estimation. You will also play a critical role in developing best practices and approaches for structural analysis as well as performing detailed stress and fatigue analysis of point designs. We expect you to be especially strong in structural analysis and coding, and to gravitate toward first-principles/fundamental-physics when solving problems.

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. If you are an excellent engineer, regardless of your background, Our staff have worked at organizations such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, Virgin Orbit, Virgin Galactic, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, New Relic, Raytheon, Disney Imagineering, Bridgewater Associates, and the US Army and Air Force, as well as research universities, startups, and small companies across a range of industries. We are organized as a public benefit corporation and are backed by leading venture capital firms, private investors, philanthropic investors, and endowments.

We strive to be the best engineering team on the planet and we compensate our engineers accordingly.

Responsibilities

• Develop algorithms/software that support the structural sizing of an entire design space in an automated way, allowing millions of end points to be accurately evaluated
• Work with Nastran input and output files for FEA analyses and scripts
• Generate and evaluate load spectra from test and simulation results
• Perform stress hand-calculations and fatigue/damage tolerance analyses for various designs
• Serve as the stress analyst for core technology subsystems, which could include: device primary structure, pressure- and seawater-tolerant electronics packaging, drivetrains, deployment features, lab-based testing apparatuses, piping/cable routing and layout, and ground-support equipment
• Drive the structural design of various systems to ensure an efficient end-product that is sufficiently robust and supports an optimal manufacturing process
• Utilize Femap, NX-Simcenter, and internal FEA tools to perform linear, non-linear, and dynamic analyses of large assemblies
• Use a CAD software design package (NX) and PDM tool (Teamcenter) to facilitate design changes and stress evaluation
• Lead and participate in design reviews with the internal team and interface with external fabricators and vendors

Required qualifications:

• An undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
• Wide-ranging experience and advanced knowledge in structural analyses techniques including classical hand analyses and computer analysis tools
• Proven experience evaluating numerous parts and assemblies that have undergone structural testing and seen service
• Working knowledge of FEA codes and pre- & post-processing (Nastran preferred)
• Solid coding abilities, with experience using Python, Julia, Mathematica, or another similar programming language for data review and analysis
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Proven ability to work in a team environment
• Confidence working independently to drive a project forward
• A work history encompassing at least five design, build, test, and deploy cycles for different projects
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, self-starting, and