Senior Technoeconomics 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

We are commercializing a core technology that will operate in the worst conditions the world’s oceans have to offer for years on end without maintenance or human intervention. Technoeconomic analysis has long been one of our company's core competencies. We are now expanding our technoeconomic analysis team to radically increase our rate of progress on a new technoeconomics stack with unique power and reach.

As Senior Technoeconomics Software Engineer, you will lead the design and development of software systems in support of our goal of generating the lowest-cost energy on the planet. You will work closely with scientists, analysts, engineers, and business leaders to build robust, scalable, and data-driven software solutions that track cost drivers, identify key parameter uncertainties, and integrate data from multiple large scientific and engineering databases and simulation systems. Your expertise in software engineering will be central to creating tools and processes that transform raw data into actionable insights used both by engineering teams and executives. You won’t build the technical or financial models, but you will write the  software that integrates these efforts and produces the insights that help steer the company. 

This role requires a blend of technical depth, communication skills, and a passion for problem-solving. 

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 software engineer, regardless of your background, we want you to apply. 

Our team of 70 includes team members who have worked at organizations such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, Tesla, Apple, Virgin Orbit, 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. We strive to be the best engineering team on the planet and we compensate our team members accordingly.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, development, and maintenance of software systems that integrate engineering design parameters, financial metrics, manufacturing production, and supply chain data to support technoeconomic analysis.
• Collaborate with analysts and business teams to build tools that model cost drivers, parameter uncertainty, and potential trade-offs in engineering and manufacturing.
• Develop workflows to automate the collection, processing, and visualization of critical data streams.
• Ensure software solutions are scalable, accurate, and maintainable, incorporating best practices for software engineering and data science.
• Partner with cross-functional teams, particularly the science, engineering, and finance teams, to create tools that enable continuous improvement of technoeconomic models and processes.
• Review and improve the technical implementation of technoeconomic and financial models, debugging assumptions and ensuring accuracy and reliability.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and optimization in the software systems supporting technoeconomic efforts.

Required Qualifications:

You will be a strong candidate if you:

• Have 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, including designing and delivering complex data-driven systems.
• Have a solid understanding of full-stack web app development and deployment. It is vital that you have experience in standing up reliable REST APIs for back end services (any language OK as long as it is not too esoteric, although we use Elixir/Erlang, Python, and C++ heavily). 
• Secondarily, for the first few months, it is important that you have the ability to develop code for the browser (via Javascript, Typescript, etc or a transpiled language of your choice). You won’t be judged on the beauty of your HTML+CSS, but it’s important that you can develop functional front-end mock-ups for other engineers.
• Have a solid understanding of databases and data event pipelines.
• Are familiar with plotting software and/or data visualization tools for viewing statistical or scientific data. 
• Are familiar with statistical analysis, financial modeling, or systems modeling … and are comfortable asking a lot of questions when you don’t understand what a specialist means.
• Possess strong problem-solving skills and a deep understanding of software architecture and scalability.
• Are capable of working closely with non-technical stakeholders to translate requirements into software solutions.
• Thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with a focus on innovation and continuous improvement.

Desired Qualifications:

The following qualifications are not required but will make you a stronger candidate:

• Familiarity with cost modeling or technoeconomic analysis.
• Experience integrating software with ERP/MRP systems.
• Background in engineering, mathematics, physics, manufacturing, energy system modeling or other "physical" or "analytical" sectors.

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 Qualifications:

• 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 flexible PTO and flexible working hours.

Compensation and Benefits:

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

• Cash compensation of $180,000 - $245,000
• Equity in the company. We’re all owners and if we’re successful, this equity will 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:

On-site preferred, but remote is acceptable if you are regularly available during core hours (10AM-3PM Pacific Time). Our offices, lab, shop, and manufacturing facilities are located in and near Portland, Oregon.