Job Summary
Senior Mechanical Engineer / Naval Architect
Aquantis, Inc - Santa Barbara, CA
About the Company
Aquantis has led the development of utility-scale tidal and ocean current turbines in the US since 2010. Funded by US DoE, ARPA-E, NOAA, MHI and others, Aquantis is currently preparing to deploy the AQ10 floating tidal current turbine prototype. The AQ10 employs a 10m rotor and generates up to 160 kW of power.
Aquantis’ founders created technologies for four generations of advanced wind turbines and the products and manufacturing capacity which led to the entry of both General Electric (2002) and United Technologies (2010) into the wind energy industry. The team’s record of success is largely attributable to its relentless focus on driving down the cost of energy through technological advances and operating efficiencies.
About the Role
Aquantis is seeking a talented engineer to assist with the mechanical design and naval architecture aspects of turbine development. Using control co-design (CCD) methods and tools, the simultaneous design of vessel structure, rotor, mooring, and controller combine to produce an optimized device that balances operational costs and power production benefits.
Responsibilities
- Conceptual design and engineering of structural, mechanical, hydrodynamic, and mooring systems for marine turbines and renewable energy systems.
- Dynamics modeling and loads analysis using multi-body dynamics software.
- Structural design using both FEA and analytic methods for ultimate, fatigue, buckling, hydrostatic, and harmonic design evaluation.
- Engage with external consultants assisting the company with dynamics analysis, naval architecture, and mechanical engineering efforts.
- Support prototype development efforts by assisting with component procurement, supervision of assembly, test planning, and commissioning of mechanical systems.
- Oversee changes to mechanical system requirements based on certification body guidance.
- Work with controls and electrical engineers to facilitate design integration. Prepare and understand electrical diagrams.
- Understand and comply with certification body guidance and design standards. Assist with certification efforts and failure mode analysis.
- Assist with prototype assembly, commissioning, and testing.
- Prepare and review mechanical drawings for fabrication. Working knowledge of GD&T.
Qualifications
REQUIRED
- Undergraduate or postgraduate degree in Naval Architecture, Mechanical/Aerospace/Marine Engineering
- Five (5) years experience in marine or renewable energy system design or analysis
- Successful track record of practical problem solving: design, analysis, fabrication, assembly, and testing of complex systems
- Excellent team working and communication skills
- Experience using SolidWorks CAD & FEA
- Ability to travel
DESIRED
- Experience designing marine structures or vessels
- Experience designing marine mechanical systems
- Experience working with marine equipment and/or field testing
- Experience directing projects in an industrial or marine environment
- Experience working in wind power or marine renewables industry
- Experience with design standards for wind or marine industries (IEC, DNV, ABS)
- Experience using NREL Design Tools, Bladed, OrcaFlex, WAMIT/NEMOH, CFD
- Experience analysis and programming with Matlab, Python, or C/C++
- Experience with mechatronics, dynamic controllers, and/or state machines
- Experience with instrumentation integration, and electrical checkout testing
Pay range and compensation package
Compensation: DoE
Location: Santa Barbara (Main Office) or Seattle area (Remote) preferred.
Orientation Period: Over the 6-month period following the start date, work in-person with the Aquantis team at the Santa Barbara offices for 4 weeks minimum.
Travel: Travel to Santa Barbara office, fabrication & assembly facilities, test sites, etc.
Working Conditions: Office work ~ 85%: Moderate noise (example: business office with keyboards, printers, light traffic, etc.), comfortable temperatures, clean air. Travel to manufacturing facilities, test sites, etc. ~ 15%. Moderate to high levels of noise (example: grinding equipment, etc.), comfortable to uncomfortable temperatures, clean to unclean air.
Reports to: Chief Engineer
Equal Opportunity Statement
The employee is expected to adhere to all company policies and to act as a role model in the adherence to policies. These statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work involved for this job. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of this job.
