Senior Marine Infrastructure Engineer (Floating Structures & Anchoring Systems)

About The Ocean Cleanup
The mission of The Ocean Cleanup is to develop technology to rid the worlds oceans of plastic. Our Engineering team within the Rivers department is committed to creating and implementing technical solutions for intercepting river plastic closely collaborating with Operations and other technical teams. This role involves both R&D-style development and hands-on project engineering for deployment. Our work spans the entire project lifecyclefrom specification conceptual design and verification to installation testing and commissioning. We combine in-house engineering expertise with outsourced technical work to develop the most effective solutions.

The Role

We are looking for a passionate senior engineer to join our team and help us develop and deploy innovative water-based structures and solutions in our river projects. This role is perfect for someone with deep expertise in designing verifying and installing water-related infrastructure such as floating structures anchoring systems and riverbed or seabed installations.

As a Senior Engineer with The Ocean Cleanup youll have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects in a fast-paced environment where youll create fit-for-purpose solutions from scratch and scale them for deployment across global interceptor efforts. Youll be responsible for solving complex water infrastructure challenges leading teams and driving continuous improvements in engineering quality and processes. Your work will have a direct and visible impact on our mission to rid the worlds oceans of plastic.

Your Responsibilities

• Lead and collaborate on the design of water-based infrastructure (e.g. floating platforms anchoring systems riverbed and seabed foundations) for plastic interception solutions.

• Scout and evaluate potential deployment sites assessing the feasibility of installing floating structures or other river-based technologies.

• Architect technical solutions (as a contributor or technical lead) particularly for floating structures water interception devices and related systems.

• Perform hands-on engineering (design verification installation testing commissioning) of water-based installations in rivers seas and other bodies of water.

• Supervise and review work from both colleagues and external suppliers ensuring high-quality standards for water-based engineering work.

• Provide technical mentorship and senior-level guidance to team members across engineering and operations functions.

• Drive continuous improvement of engineering standards processes tools and quality across water-based engineering projects.

• Contribute to the long-term roadmap and development of new water-based interception solutions for rivers and waterways.

Why Youll Love This Role

• Make a Global Impact: Your work will contribute directly to our mission to clean the worlds oceans of plasticgiving you a strong sense of purpose and fulfillment as your solutions make a tangible difference in environmental conservation.

• Fast-Paced Challenging Projects: Work in a dynamic environment where youll design and implement innovative water infrastructure solutions from scratch solving real-time challenges on the ground and refining your engineering expertise.

• Continuous Learning & Career Growth: Youll be exposed to new technologies approaches and challenges every day with opportunities for continuous improvement and growthboth technically and in leadership.

• Hands-On Experience: From floating systems to submerged foundations youll tackle some of the most complex and impactful engineering challenges taking concepts from design to deployment in real-world conditions.

• Global Exposure & Field Work: Your work will take you across the globe to assess sites and see your designs deployed in countries around the world offering international travel opportunities and fieldwork in diverse dynamic environments.

• Be Part of a Groundbreaking Project: Join a team that is already pioneering innovative solutions for plastic pollution and contribute to solutions that could revolutionize river and ocean cleanup efforts globally.

Professional Qualifications

• Education and experience in Civil Engineering Marine Engineering or Water Resources Engineering (focused on water-based structures such as floating platforms river and seabed foundations etc.).

• 10 years of experience in marine/civil water engineering with a proven track record across the full lifecycle of design verification installation and commissioning of water-based structures (including floating systems anchorages and submerged infrastructure).

• Hands-on experience in the conception design analysis and commissioning of floating or water-adjacent infrastructure especially in marine or river environments.

• Demonstrated international project delivery and client-focused solution development with field-based work experience.

• Fluent in English with the ability to travel internationally (Americas and Asia) for field projects.

Desirable Qualifications

• Hands-on manufacturing experience or strong affinity for fabrication of marine structures or water-based systems.

• Project Management experience or exposure to managing complex engineering projects in water or marine environments.

• Passionate about working with marine technology or water-based infrastructure (boats floating systems marine vessels etc.).

• Experience with 2D/3D CAD software (e.g. AutoCAD Rhino) and fluid/structural simulation software (e.g. ANSYS COMSOL) is a plus.

• Proficiency in Dutch Spanish and/or Southeast Asian languages is a strong advantage for international projects.

Personal Qualifications

• Deeply motivated to contribute to the mission of ridding oceans of plastic.

• Tenacious and proactive with a can-do attitude toward solving complex engineering challenges.

• Creative and curious with a strong drive for innovation in water-based engineering solutions.

• Excellent problem analysis structuring and solution synthesis skills for challenging water-based projects.

• Capable of working in a fast-paced environment with the ability to switch between pragmatic action and detailed analytical thinking.

• A strong communicator and team player with the ability to interface with both technical and non-technical stakeholders across different cultures.

• Mentoring skills to guide and coach junior engineers and provide leadership in a collaborative multidisciplinary team.

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