What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lead Mechanical Engineer position at AdAstra Talent Advisors?
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.
Founded in 2016 and based in the Pacific Northwest, this team comes from diverse backgrounds in aerospace, naval architecture, marine operations, hardware, software, and research.
This role is based in Portland, OR. More company details will be shared during an initial call.
About the Role
As they scale, our client is looking for an outstanding mechanical engineering leader to complement, enable, and enhance an already outstanding engineering team. You will be responsible for technical, people, and project leadership of core parts of the nodes throughout their lifecycle, from concept through production and deployments in the ocean.
Leadership there is not a status symbol; it is enormously hard work that can really only be done by someone who is simultaneously deeply technical, hyper organized, and extraordinarily passionate about empowering and developing others. They are also an organization where leaders are excited to pitch in to act as individual contributors if the need arises.
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
- Rapidly develop and deploy reliable mechanical systems for long-term, at-sea operation.
- Lead a team of mechanical engineers in designing, developing, and owning critical structures and systems from concept to deployment.
- Foster a high-energy, hardware-focused team culture with a sense of urgency to scale renewable ocean energy.
- Hire, mentor, and support growth for team members, including individual contributors and leaders.
- Create and maintain the right amount of structure to enable clarity, focus, and decision-making aligned with broader goals.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve system efficiency, manufacturability, and reliability while challenging assumptions.
- Drive system trades, requirements capture, component selection, analysis, schematic capture, prototyping, documentation, manufacturing, and test.
- Conduct and lead design reviews, interface with external vendors, and oversee detailed project documentation with strong GD&T knowledge.
- Utilize advanced CAD (NX) and PDM (Teamcenter) tools for design and engineering drawings.
- Work closely with technicians to prototype, test, fabricate, and develop operational and maintenance procedures.
- Make well-reasoned, high-impact decisions under imperfect information and consistently meet schedule targets.
Required Qualifications
Desired Qualifications
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 :
Location
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.
Connect with us on LinkedIn : https : / / www.linkedin.com / company / adastrata
Connect with us on Facebook : https : / / www.facebook.com / AdAstraTalent
Salary : $200,000 - $300,000
