Test Engineering Technician - Panthalassa

About the Company

Panthalassa is 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 mission is to capture civilizational levels of ultra-low-cost renewable energy for applications including computing and affordable renewable fuels delivered to shore.

We are headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and operate as a public benefit corporation backed by leading venture capitalists, philanthropic investors, and university endowments. Our team includes individuals with experience at SpaceX, Tesla, Apple, Blue Origin, the U.S. military, and leading research universities. We operate as an idea meritocracy—where the best ideas win—and we’re building the most capable engineering and operations team on the planet.

About the Job

We are seeking a Test Engineering Technician to join our cross-functional Test Engineering team as its first dedicated technician, reporting to the Engineering Manager for Test Engineering. You will take primary responsibility for the physical operation, maintenance, and upgrade of our existing large-scale test facilities, as well as helping build new test systems, with an emphasis on mechanical systems (roughly 3/4 of the role) and supporting electrical/instrumentation work (roughly 1/4 of the role).

This is a hands-on role in a climate-controlled, well-lit shop and lab environment. You’ll keep test rigs running reliably between campaigns, support the mechanical and electrical engineers who design and run the tests, and, once trained, work at the operator’s console. You’ll work closely with the Turbogenerator Development, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Node Integration & Test teams.

Responsibilities

• Perform physical operation, maintenance, and upgrades on existing test rigs, and support the build of new test systems.
• Maintain test infrastructure fluid systems: monitor water quality and compressed air/water piping, pumps, and filters, performing routine preventive maintenance.
• Maintain inventory of spare parts, tools, and supplies; identify and procure what’s needed to keep test operations running.
• Operate mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs) and overhead cranes; work safely at elevation and lift large objects (up to 50 lbs) as part of routine test rig operations.
• Perform light fabrication tasks in support of test setups, such as drilling and basic use of mills or lathes; interface with our welders and machinists on more complex fabrication needs.
• Assemble and troubleshoot electrical cables and harnesses; perform basic continuity checks and instrumentation calibration using a digital multimeter and related tools.
• Apply working knowledge of low-voltage instrumentation concepts in support of test setups.