Lead Engineer

Ocean Power Technologies Inc•Richmond, CA

4d•$155,000 - $165,000•Onsite

About The Position

OPT provides intelligent maritime solutions and services that enable safer, cleaner, and more productive ocean operations for the defense and security, oil and gas, science and research, and offshore wind markets, including Merrows™, which provides AI-capable seamless integration of Maritime Domain Awareness Systems across platforms. Our PowerBuoy® platforms provide clean and reliable electric power and real-time data communications for remote maritime and subsea applications. We also provide WAM-V® unmanned surface vehicles (USV’s) and marine robotics services. The Company’s headquarters is located in Monroe Township, New Jersey and has an additional office in Richmond, California. We are seeking a Lead Engineer to help lead the multidisciplinary engineering team in our Richmond, CA office, supporting the development and deployment of WAM-V® autonomous surface vehicles and PowerBuoy® systems. This role is ideal for a highly capable, hands-on engineer who thrives in fast-paced prototyping and field deployment environments, building, testing, iterating, and solving practical engineering problems. You will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering and integration teams to drive engineering execution and help deliver robust, field-ready systems. The Lead Engineer will serve as a technical mentor and coordination point across engineering disciplines, helping align development efforts, unblock technical challenges, and maintain momentum across multiple concurrent projects. This role remains deeply hands-on and will involve active participation in system bring-up, reviewing designs, debugging, testing, and field operations. The ideal candidate is comfortable taking ownership of complex technical problems from concept through deployment and helping drive systems to operational readiness. This is a high-impact role with the opportunity to help shape the evolution of next-generation marine robotics systems while working directly on real-world autonomous platforms.

Requirements

US citizenship
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, or related discipline)
Minimum 6+ years of engineering experience in complex electromechanical or robotics systems
Strong system-level understanding of integrated hardware/software systems
Hands-on experience with system design, integration, debugging, and field testing
Proficiency in project management tools
Familiarity with at least some combination of embedded systems, firmware, CAD, controls, networking, or electromechanical integration
Experience working across multidisciplinary engineering teams
Strong technical problem-solving skills in fast-paced development environments
Ability to mentor engineers and support cross-functional collaboration
Familiarity with networking, communications systems, embedded systems, or controls
Willingness to participate in field deployments and sea trials
Excellent communication and problem-solving skills and ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced environments

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, or related discipline)
Experience with robotics, autonomous systems, marine systems, or unmanned vehicles
Experience with embedded systems, controls, and real-time software
Experience working in prototyping-heavy, hardware-focused environments
Experience supporting field deployments and operating systems in real-world environments
Prior experience mentoring engineers or leading small technical teams
Eligibility for U.S. government security clearance (if required)

Responsibilities

Lead day-to-day technical execution across multidisciplinary engineering efforts
Lead a team of 5-7 mechanical, electrical, and mechatronics engineers and work closely with software and integration teams to deliver reliable, field-ready systems
Support system integration, bring-up, debugging, and validation of WAM-V® and PowerBuoy® platforms
Coordinate engineering execution, planning, and resource allocation across multiple concurrent development efforts, prototype builds, and sea trials
Work directly on challenging technical problems involving electromechanical systems, communications, controls, and autonomous behaviors
Conduct design reviews and provide hands-on mentorship to engineers across disciplines
Collaborate closely with software architecture and systems integration teams to ensure subsystem compatibility and successful platform integration
Collaborate with the commercial team on contract-specific development efforts and overall VoM for internal project scope
Support prioritization, task coordination, and engineering execution in partnership with leadership
Assist with field testing, sea trials, and operational deployments
Help establish and reinforce engineering best practices, documentation standards, and development processes
Contribute to hiring and development of engineering staff