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Ocean Engineering Jobs in Oregon (NOW HIRING)

Panthalassa

Senior Computational Engineer

Portland, OR · On-site

$110K - $152K/yr

Bachelor's degree in Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a similar field. * Strong foundation in fluid mechanics ...

Panthalassa

Senior Computational Engineer

Portland, OR · On-site

$110K - $152K/yr

Bachelor's degree in Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a similar field. * Strong foundation in fluid mechanics ...

Panthalassa

Senior Computational Engineer

Portland, OR

$110K - $152K/yr

Bachelor's degree in Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a similar field. * Strong foundation in fluid mechanics ...

Panthalassa

Fluid Dynamicist

Portland, OR

$18.25 - $22/hr

Bachelor's degree in Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a similar field. * Strong foundation in fluid mechanics ...

Panthalassa

Fluid Dynamicist

Portland, OR · On-site

$18.25 - $22/hr

Bachelor's degree in Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a similar field. * Strong foundation in fluid mechanics ...

Panthalassa

Fluid Dynamicist

Portland, OR · On-site

$18.25 - $22/hr

Bachelor's degree in Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a similar field. * Strong foundation in fluid mechanics ...

U.S. Navy

Oceanography Officer (Reserve)

Eugene, OR

Prepare ocean, sea and waterway charts and maps for anything from basic navigation to search-and ... engineering. All candidates must also be U.S. citizens, eligible for a secret security clearance ...

US Navy

Oceanographer/Meteorologist

Dundee, OR

Their mission is to define and apply the physical environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the ... science, engineering, or mathematics. Qualifications All Navy jobs require meeting general ...

US Navy

Oceanographer/Meteorologist

Sisters, OR

Their mission is to define and apply the physical environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the ... science, engineering, or mathematics. Qualifications All Navy jobs require meeting general ...

US Navy

Oceanographer/Meteorologist

Aurora, OR

Their mission is to define and apply the physical environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the ... science, engineering, or mathematics. Qualifications All Navy jobs require meeting general ...

US Navy

Oceanographer/Meteorologist

Tangent, OR

Their mission is to define and apply the physical environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the ... science, engineering, or mathematics. Qualifications All Navy jobs require meeting general ...

US Navy

Oceanographer/Meteorologist

Carlton, OR

Their mission is to define and apply the physical environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the ... science, engineering, or mathematics. Qualifications All Navy jobs require meeting general ...

US Navy

Oceanographer/Meteorologist

Lakeview, OR

Their mission is to define and apply the physical environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the ... science, engineering, or mathematics. Qualifications All Navy jobs require meeting general ...

US Navy

Oceanographer/Meteorologist

Corvallis, OR

Their mission is to define and apply the physical environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the ... science, engineering, or mathematics. Qualifications All Navy jobs require meeting general ...

US Navy

Oceanographer/Meteorologist

Eugene, OR

Their mission is to define and apply the physical environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the ... science, engineering, or mathematics. Qualifications All Navy jobs require meeting general ...

US Navy

Oceanographer/Meteorologist

Newport, OR

Their mission is to define and apply the physical environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the ... science, engineering, or mathematics. Qualifications All Navy jobs require meeting general ...

US Navy

Oceanographer/Meteorologist

Arlington, OR

Their mission is to define and apply the physical environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the ... science, engineering, or mathematics. Qualifications All Navy jobs require meeting general ...

US Navy

Oceanographer/Meteorologist

Trail, OR

Their mission is to define and apply the physical environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the ... science, engineering, or mathematics. Qualifications All Navy jobs require meeting general ...

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Showing results 1-20

All JobsOcean Engineering JobsOcean Engineering Jobs in Oregon

Ocean Engineering information

See Oregon salary details

$49.2K

$155.3K

$184K

How much do ocean engineering jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 15, 2026, the average yearly pay for ocean engineering in Oregon is $155,281.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $123,200.00 and $182,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is ocean engineering?

Ocean engineering is a branch of engineering focused on the design, development, and maintenance of structures and systems that operate in the ocean environment. This field combines elements of mechanical, civil, electrical, and environmental engineering to address challenges such as offshore energy production, underwater robotics, coastal protection, and marine transportation. Ocean engineers work on projects like oil platforms, underwater vehicles, renewable energy installations, and coastal infrastructure, ensuring they are safe, efficient, and environmentally sustainable. The work often involves multidisciplinary collaboration and adapting to the unique and harsh conditions of marine environments.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Ocean Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Ocean Engineer, you need a solid background in mechanical, civil, or marine engineering principles, typically supported by a bachelor's degree in ocean engineering or a related field. Familiarity with CAD software, ocean modeling tools, and industry certifications such as Professional Engineer (PE) licensure are commonly required. Strong problem-solving abilities, teamwork, and effective communication skills help you excel in multidisciplinary, often challenging marine environments. These competencies are crucial for designing safe, innovative solutions to complex problems in ocean structures, vessels, and coastal systems.

What is the difference between Ocean Engineering vs Marine Engineering?

AspectOcean EngineeringMarine Engineering
CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Ocean Engineering or related fieldsBachelor's or Master's in Marine Engineering or Naval Architecture
Work EnvironmentOffshore platforms, research vessels, coastal facilitiesShip design, propulsion systems, shipyard environments
Industry UsageResearch, offshore oil & gas, renewable energyShipbuilding, maritime transportation, naval defense

Ocean Engineering and Marine Engineering share overlapping skills and credentials, but differ mainly in focus. Ocean Engineering emphasizes offshore structures, ocean systems, and research, while Marine Engineering concentrates on ship design, propulsion, and maritime operations. Both fields are vital in maritime industries, but their specific applications and work environments distinguish them.

How much do ocean engineers make in the US?

Ocean engineers in the US typically earn a median annual salary of around $90,000, with salaries ranging from approximately $60,000 to over $130,000 depending on experience, location, and specialization. Advanced skills, certifications, and work in offshore or research environments can lead to higher compensation.

Is ocean engineering a good career?

Ocean engineering is a specialized field focused on designing and maintaining systems related to the ocean environment, such as offshore structures, ships, and underwater vehicles. It offers opportunities in industries like energy, defense, and research, often requiring strong technical skills in fluid dynamics, materials, and computer modeling. The career can be rewarding for those interested in marine environments and engineering challenges, with job prospects depending on industry demand and geographic location.

What are some typical challenges ocean engineers face when working on offshore projects?

Ocean engineers often encounter challenges such as harsh weather conditions, unpredictable sea states, and complex logistical issues when working offshore. Ensuring the safety and durability of structures like oil rigs, underwater pipelines, or renewable energy platforms in these environments requires careful planning, advanced engineering techniques, and close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams. Additionally, ocean engineers must consider environmental regulations and the impact of their projects on marine ecosystems. These challenges make strong problem-solving skills and adaptability essential for success in this field.

How do you become an ocean engineer?

To become an ocean engineer, you typically need a bachelor's degree in ocean engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, or a related field. Gaining experience through internships, developing skills in CAD and simulation tools, and obtaining professional licensure can enhance career prospects in this specialized field.

What engineering jobs pay $500,000?

In engineering fields, senior roles such as petroleum engineers, aerospace engineers, and certain specialized software or systems engineers can earn $500,000 or more annually, often with extensive experience, advanced certifications, and leadership responsibilities. High-paying positions typically involve management, project oversight, or working in high-demand industries like oil and gas, aerospace, or technology sectors.
What are popular job titles related to Ocean Engineering jobs in Oregon? For Ocean Engineering jobs in Oregon, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Ocean Engineering jobs in Oregon look for? The top searched job categories for Ocean Engineering jobs in Oregon are:
What cities in Oregon are hiring for Ocean Engineering jobs? Cities in Oregon with the most Ocean Engineering job openings:
Ocean Engineering jobs near you
Infographic showing various Ocean Engineering job openings in Oregon as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 83% Full Time, and 17% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $155,281 per year, or $74.7 per hour.

Senior Computational Engineer

Panthalassa

Portland, OR • On-site

$110K - $152K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 2 days ago

Job description

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
As a Senior Computational Engineer, you will lead and improve the use of high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to validate the performance of optimized marine system designs. You will serve as the bridge between fast-running reduced-order simulations, mechanical design, and the CFD team, ensuring that promising optimized geometries and operating strategies are evaluated rigorously before they influence major engineering decisions.
This role is highly technical and highly cross-functional. You will run and improve CFD workflows using Helyx, OpenFOAM, and/or Star-CCM+, validate optimized results against high-fidelity simulations, compare simulation outputs against experimental and sea-trial data, and communicate simulation confidence, assumptions, sensitivities, and validation status. You will be expected to diagnose difficult CFD issues, improve automation pipelines, post-process and visualize complex results, and help establish the standards by which performance claims are validated.
The ideal candidate has deep marine CFD experience, strong first-principles engineering judgment, and the ability to own major technical projects from ambiguous problem statements through validated conclusions. We are especially interested in candidates who can not only use CFD tools, but also improve them through scripting, automation, solver customization, OpenFOAM/Helyx development, or related code development.
Responsibilities
  • Own the CFD-based performance validation process for optimized marine system designs, including geometry preparation, meshing, solver setup, execution, debugging, post-processing, visualization, and reporting.
  • Use Helyx, OpenFOAM, and/or Star-CCM+ to evaluate optimized geometries and operating conditions generated by fast-running time-domain simulation, Boundary Element Method (BEM), and fleet deployment tools.
  • Develop, maintain, and continuously improve CFD validation workflows and automation pipelines with support from other engineers and software developers.
  • Improve robustness, accuracy, and reliability of advanced CFD workflows across complex marine operating conditions, including meshing, solver setup, turbulence modeling, boundary conditions, and post-processing workflows.
  • Evaluate power, propulsion, hydrodynamic loading, device performance, and other key metrics using high-fidelity simulation data.
  • Compare CFD results against reduced-order models, BEM tools, time-domain device simulations, experimental data, sea-trial measurements, and metocean observations.
  • Work directly with data collected from prototype deployments and sea-trial campaigns to improve model fidelity and accelerate deployment readiness.
  • Refine and extend internal validation standards to ensure CFD results are accurate, converged, and physically meaningful for design and operational decision-making.
  • Develop clear visualizations, dashboards, plots, technical memos, and presentations that communicate simulation results, limitations, uncertainties, and recommended actions.
  • Collaborate closely with optimization, controls, mechanical engineering, metocean data, fleet simulation, and experimental teams to close the loop between predicted and measured performance.
  • Contribute to verification and validation of CFD methods using canonical cases, experimental data, sea-trial data, and internal benchmark problems.
  • Run simulation workflows on on-premises and cloud-based HPC systems.
  • Improve team velocity by increasing automation, reducing manual handoffs, documenting best practices, and developing reusable simulation templates.
  • Use modern software and AI-assisted engineering tools to accelerate coding, analysis, documentation, and simulation workflow development while maintaining strong technical judgment and verification discipline.

Required Qualifications
  • Legal authorization to work in the United States.
  • Bachelor's degree in Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a similar field.
  • Strong foundation in fluid mechanics, marine hydrodynamics, rigid body dynamics, and physics-based modeling.
  • Significant experience running end-to-end CFD simulations for real engineering systems.
  • Experience using at least one major RANS-based CFD tool such as Helyx, OpenFOAM, or Star-CCM+.
  • Ability to diagnose and resolve CFD issues involving meshing, boundary conditions, convergence, numerical stability, turbulence modeling, and post-processing.
  • Strong understanding of verification and validation principles, including grid convergence, sensitivity studies, uncertainty, and comparison against experimental or field data.
  • Experience processing, visualizing, and interpreting complex simulation datasets.
  • Working knowledge of Linux environments, scripting workflows, and HPC-based simulation execution.
  • Ability to use first-principles reasoning to determine when simulation results are physically meaningful and when they require further investigation.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical results and limitations to multidisciplinary teams.
  • Demonstrated ability to independently own and drive complex technical projects to completion.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Master's or PhD in Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a similar field.
  • 5+ years of industry or research experience in CFD, marine hydrodynamics, naval architecture, offshore engineering, turbomachinery, propulsion, or related fields.
  • Experience with marine CFD, offshore systems, free-surface flows, multiphase flows, fluid-structure interaction, propulsion, wave-structure interaction, or complex metocean environments.
  • Experience using multiple CFD tools, especially Helyx, OpenFOAM and Star-CCM+.
  • Experience developing or modifying OpenFOAM, Helyx, or other CFD solver capabilities.
  • Experience building CFD automation pipelines, including CAD-to-mesh-to-solve-to-post-processing workflows.
  • Experience with Python, C++, Julia, Java, Bash, or other programming languages used in engineering simulation workflows.
  • Experience comparing simulations to sea-trial data, wave basin data, tow tank data, or other physical test data.
  • Experience working with metocean data, reanalysis datasets, wave spectra, current profiles, wind data, or measured ocean data.
  • Working knowledge of BEM, reduced-order models, time-domain simulation, or optimization workflows.
  • Experience with CAD-to-CFD workflows using tools such as NX, SolidWorks, Rhino, or similar.
  • Experience developing dashboards, automated reports, or visualization tools for simulation results.
  • Experience in startup environments or fast-paced R&D teams; comfortable with ambiguity, proactive in shaping work, and adaptable to change.
  • A record of mentorship, technical documentation, internal training, or leadership in simulation communities.

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
  • Occasional extended hours or weekend work to support key milestones, sea trials, fleet operations, or urgent design decisions.
  • Strong preference for candidates based in Portland, Oregon. Exceptional remote candidates will be considered, with regular travel to Portland expected.
  • 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.

Compensation and Benefits
If hired for this full-time role, you will receive:
  • Cash compensation of $155,000-$200,000.
  • 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 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
Our offices, lab and shop, are located in Portland, Oregon.

Apply