Ocean Engineer Jobs in Portland, OR (NOW HIRING)

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.

We're looking for a Corporate Network Engineer to join our IT team and establish the network infrastructure that will enable our teams to advance renewable energy technology and ocean-based computing. You'll be building from the ground up—designing and implementing the corporate office network infrastructure that connects our Portland headquarters, lab facilities, and future locations as we scale.

This is a foundational technical role. You'll own the architecture and operation of our corporate networks, including wired and wireless infrastructure, while also establishing the standards, automation, and documentation that future network engineers will rely on. You'll bring both depth of networking expertise and the flexibility to work in a startup environment, balancing immediate operational needs with long-term scalability.

This role requires regular on-site presence in our Portland office and facilities. You'll need to be comfortable doing hands-on work, whether that's racking equipment, conducting wireless site surveys, coordinating with contractors during buildouts, or troubleshooting physical infrastructure. You are a team player with a "roll up your sleeves" attitude who can move seamlessly between strategic planning and tactical execution.

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. Our team members have worked at organizations such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, Virgin Orbit, Virgin Galactic, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, New Relic, Bridgewater, Raytheon, Disney Imagineering, and the naval architecture faculty of the University of Michigan.

• Design and implement corporate office network infrastructure from the ground up, including wired and wireless networks, across our Portland campus and future locations.
• Establish network standards, best practices, and architectural patterns that will scale as we rapidly expand our facilities and headcount.
• Build and maintain high-performance wireless networks that support dense user environments, lab equipment, and diverse device requirements.
• Develop automation tools and monitoring solutions to ensure network reliability and rapid issue resolution.
• Partner with Facilities team to plan and integrate network infrastructure into new office, lab and industrial facility buildouts and expansions.
• Manage vendor relationships, oversee circuit procurement, and handle equipment lifecycle planning.
• Create comprehensive documentation, runbooks, and knowledge bases in Confluence for network operations.
• Implement network security controls including segmentation, access control, and firewall policies.
• Collaborate with infrastructure and DevOps teams to ensure seamless connectivity between office networks and cloud resources (GCP, Azure).
• Participate in an on-call rotation to provide network support and incident response.

This role is intentionally designed with room to stretch. Depending on your interests and growth, you may also:

• Design specialized network infrastructure to support our ocean-based computing facilities and marine operations.
• Lead the implementation of our zero trust network architecture and identity-based access controls.
• Build network observability platforms and advanced monitoring solutions.
• Architect hybrid connectivity solutions between on-premises infrastructure and cloud environments.
• Mentor future network engineering hires as the team grows.
• Contribute to building automation and IoT network requirements for our lab and production facilities.

• 5+ years of experience designing and operating enterprise IP networks, with focus on corporate/office environments.
• Proficiency with firewall management, routing protocols, VLANs, and layer 2/3 switching technologies.
• Hands-on experience designing and troubleshooting enterprise wireless networks at scale.
• Experience with network configuration automation and scripting.
• Understanding of physical network infrastructure including structured cabling standards, IDF/MDF design, and equipment installation.
• Experience with network security best practices including segmentation, 802.1X, and firewall policies.
• Comfort with Linux/Unix systems and network troubleshooting tools.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while working with facilities teams, contractors, and vendors.
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Excitement about renewable energy and the opportunity to build foundational infrastructure at a mission-driven company.

• Experience establishing network infrastructure and standards at high-growth startups or rapid-scale environments.
• Background in wireless site surveys, capacity planning, and RF design.
• Knowledge of building automation and IoT network requirements.
• Familiarity with identity-based network access control solutions (802.1X, NAC).
• Understanding of compliance requirements for network infrastructure (SOC2, ISO 27001).
• Experience with network observability platforms and monitoring tools.
• Track record of successful office buildouts and network migrations.
• Certifications such as CCNA/CCNP, CWNA/CWDP, or equivalent.
• Experience with industrial or maritime networking environments.

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.

At Panthalassa, you'll be part of a team that values curiosity, collaboration, and impact. In this role, you'll get the chance to build network infrastructure from the ground up, establish the standards that will enable our scale, and grow alongside a company that's tackling one of the most critical challenges of our time: sustainable energy for humanity's future.

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

• Cash compensation of $150,000 - $190,000.
• 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).

This is an on-site position with expectation of regular presence in our Portland facilities (4+ days/week). Our offices, lab, and shop are located in Portland, Oregon. This position may require occasional domestic and international travel for new office or facility buildouts.