Principal Software Engineer

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

Our 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.

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will lead the design, development, and optimization of high-performance telemetry and communications systems that drive cutting-edge marine autonomy solutions. This role combines technical expertise with strategic thinking, requiring you to create scalable APIs, integrate with diverse external systems, and mentor team members. Your work will directly impact operational efficiency, innovation, and the delivery of state-of-the-art maritime technologies.

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, we want you to apply. 

Responsibilities

• Own and drive large aspects of telemetry and communications software development, examples currently underway include:
  • Weather conditions, current and predictions
  • Marine traffic
  • Operational simulations
  • Satellite imagery
  • Manufacturing systems
• High volume telemetry ingest
• Operational and analytical user interfaces and APIs
• Creating cross-language and cross-platform APIs and network protocols
• Interfacing with external systems, both homegrown and commercial for tasks relating to:
• Work with internal stakeholders and external agencies to synthesize marine autonomy processes
• Regular failure modes and effects analysis of existing and new software features
• Collectively manage and maintain compute infrastructure for team’s applications
• Assist in peer skills development, of coworkers on our team and adjacent 
• As needed literature reviews to incorporate state of the art algorithms and techniques

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience developing fault tolerant applications in Elixir or Erlang
• Proficiency with version control (we use git)
• Competency with creating and maintaining CI/CD pipelines for automated tests and deployment
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, self-starting, and demanding atmosphere, sometimes remote and sometimes in-person
• Preference for a curiosity to learn, and passion for continuous improvement
• Solid understanding of technical projects from the detailed level to how it fits into the big picture
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and presentation skills
• Empathetic 

Desired Qualifications

• Prior distributed systems experience
• Prior experience with Phoenix Live View
• Prior experience with BEAM hot-code reload deployments

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.

Additional Requirements

• Travel to vendors and test sites as needed
• Intermittently able to work longer hours and weekends to support critical needs. While we expect a lot of each other, we also offer a high degree of autonomy and work-life balance, including unlimited PTO and flexible working hours.

Compensation and Benefits

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

• Cash compensation of $225,000 - $265,000
• Equity in the company. We’re all owners and if we’re 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 can be a remote position. Our offices, lab, and shop are located in Portland, Oregon.