Director of Industrialization

The posting, as Panthalassa wrote it

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.

Our staff 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.

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.

Panthalassa is moving from pilot production into volume manufacturing, and we are hiring a Director of Industrialization to stand up the production lines that get us there. You will own the manufacturing strategy, equipment definition, commissioning schedule, and production ramp for our new factories — the work that turns a proven pilot process and a rate target into a qualified, running line.

This is the person who decides what we build with, how the line is configured, how long installation and commissioning will take, and how quickly the factory can climb to rate. Working with Pilot Manufacturing, you will translate product designs and proven pilot processes into a build strategy, then select and procure major capital equipment, sequence installation and qualification against a hard schedule, and define the ramp curve the rest of the business plans against.

This role starts as an individual contributor and grows into a leadership role . For the first phase you will be doing the work yourself: building the models, writing the equipment specs, running the vendor evaluations, and standing in the building during commissioning. As the factories come online you will define, hire, and lead the industrialization and manufacturing engineering team that supports them. We are looking for someone who is genuinely happy in both modes and who wants to build the organization they will eventually run.

You will report to the Vice President of Manufacturing and work most closely with the Director of Pilot Manufacturing, who owns the processes and product maturity you will be industrializing, and with the Plant Manager of each new facility, who owns the site once it is operating. You will also partner continuously with Pilot Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality,
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• Significant travel is expected, including to equipment vendors, contract manufacturers, candidate sites, and new facilities under construction. Travel will be heaviest during equipment procurement and startup phases and may include international travel.
• Comfort working across office, lab, fabrication, construction, and waterfront environments, with personal protective equipment required in designated areas.
• Ability to work extended or off-shift hours intermittently during commissioning, startup, and other time-critical operational windows.

Compensation and Benefits

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

• Cash compensation of $215,000 - $290,000.
• 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 100% for full-time employees, 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 is an on-site position with expectation of regular presence in our Portland, Oregon facilities and at our Vancouver, Washington pilot manufacturing site. This position requires substantial domestic and international travel in support of equipment procurement, commissioning, and new facility startups.

Exceptional remote candidates willing to spend at least 50% of their time in Portland are encouraged to apply.