Job Description: Orpheus Ocean Inc is seeking a full-time Electrical Engineer to play a key role in the research, development, manufacturing, testing, and operation of our robotic autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) platforms, payloads, and equipment. As part of our core engineering team, you will help advance the deep-ocean exploration capabilities of our autonomous platforms, supporting survey, assessment, and monitoring for rapidly expanding sectors of the blue economy - including seabed minerals, offshore wind, and critical subsea infrastructure.
This is a hands-on engineering role with high impact on both our R&D and field deployment programs. You will collaborate closely with mechanical, software, and field operations teams to integrate your solutions into real-world missions.
This role is in-person, in southern Massachusetts, with some flexibility for occasional work from home. Applicants have the opportunity for 2-3 months of travel during the first year, possibly for at-sea deployments for several weeks at a time.
Company Description: Orpheus Ocean is revolutionizing exploration of Earth's final frontier: the deep ocean. We are a venture-backed, high-growth startup that is designing, building and operating novel autonomous platforms for ultra-scalable deep ocean access, to unlock and secure the future of the blue economy. Our flagship Orpheus AUV is the first to enable untethered interaction with the seafloor and agile exploration of environments down to 6,000 meters. Learn more at
Duties/Responsibilities: As an Electrical Engineer at Orpheus Ocean, you will work closely with a multidisciplinary team to design and deliver robust electrical systems for our robotic platforms, payloads, and supporting infrastructure. The ideal candidate will take ownership of all electrical aspects of our products and grow with the company, potentially into a leadership role.
- Electrical design, analysis, and documentation of components, assemblies, and subsystems spanning power systems, motor control, communication interfaces, circuit protection, grounding, signal integrity analysis, and embedded computers
- Design and validate high-reliability power systems including battery packs, BMS integration, DC-DC conversion, power distribution, load switching, and fault protection
- Perform power budgeting, thermal analysis, and energy modeling for mission planning
- Design and implement fault detection, isolation, and recovery mechanisms (FDIR) to ensure AUV electrical systems are robust, repeatable, and safe under failure conditions.
- Support engineering, manufacturing, testing, and operations workflows by maintaining clear communication, documentation, and revision control of high-quality schematics, block diagrams, wiring diagrams, interface control documents, and specifications
- Own component selection, vendor qualification, and lifecycle management for critical electrical hardware
- Fabricate circuit card assemblies and electrical systems via soldering (through-hole and SMT), crimping, and connector termination
- Perform inspection, test, and qualification of system and subsystem assemblies including circuit card assemblies, wiring harnesses, and individual components.
- Develop and conduct test plans for bench, tank, and open-water testing of Orpheus AUV electrical systems for factory acceptance and to troubleshoot technical issues to achieve functionality and compliance
- Conducting and documenting failure modes and effects analysis to identify root-causes and implement design improvements
- Own electrical system architecture including power, signal, grounding, and communication topology across the full vehicle and payload stack
- Support system integration, bring-up, and validation efforts alongside systems test engineering, including debugging and resolving electrical issues
- Collaborate with mechanical and systems engineering to ensure proper integration of electrical systems within pressure housings, thermal constraints, and subsea interfaces
- Contributing to process development, systems architecture decisions, and overall product evolution
- Managing and mentoring junior electrical engineers and technicians
- Participate in offshore field work
This role offers significant ownership, hands-on work, and direct impact on next-generation ocean robotics.
About You: You are a self-motivated engineer who thrives in fast-paced, hardware-driven environments and enjoys tackling difficult technical challenges. You can independently drive development cycles and take assigned high-level objectives from concept to finished product with rigor and creativity. You are driven to do whatever it takes to get the job done, wearing numerous hats across responsibilities and disciplines, while enthusiastically learning outside of your existing skillset and experiences. You are capable of working across electrical design, fabrication, testing, and operations. You communicate clearly, collaborate well as a part of an interdisciplinary team, and are energized by building real systems that operate in the ocean.
As a pivotal member of our early-stage team, you must be enthusiastic and prepared to overcome the challenges associated with a growing seed-stage startup, and do so with respect, responsibility, and resilience. You must be adaptive and continually in pursuit of self/team-improvement in a workplace culture that expects all team members to both positively solicit and provide frequent constructive feedback to/from all colleagues, supervisors, and executives.
Minimum Qualifications:
- 5+ years work experience in robotics electronics development
- Experience owning full product lifecycle from prototype through deployment
- Strong first principles engineering design and decision making skills
- Broad knowledge and hands on experience in electronics design and assembly processes including: Robotics systems, wiring harnesses, microcontrollers, signal conditioning, power systems, battery systems, motor control, and multilayer PCB layout
- Experience with communication protocols such as CAN, UART, RS232, SPI, I2C, Ethernet
- Understanding of EMI/EMC, grounding, shielding, and signal integrity
- Proficiency in analog/digital circuit design, schematic capture, and analysis.
- Proficiency in firmware and embedded systems programming languages such as C/C++
- Proficiency in developing code to debug hardware and chip communication.
- Experience with PCB testing using a range of lab instruments such as signal generators, oscilloscopes, power supplies, etc
- Experience with hardware-level circuit and PCB design using industry standard electronics design software for design and documentation
- Experience with hardware revision control and configuration management systems
- Ability to utilize data from prototype testing to iterate on system design and performance
- Excellent communication and teamwork abilities
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, or related-field
- Authorization to work in the US and travel internationally
Desired Qualifications:
- Experience in a commercial/start-up setting or in product development
- Experience deploying robotic systems in the field, especially in marine environments
- Experience designing for energy-constrained or long-duration autonomous systems
- Familiarity with embedded Linux environments and system-level debugging
- Experience with pressure-tolerant electronics or oil-filled systems
- Ability to coordinate vendors and customers to negotiate product or mission requirements and integrate various sensor payloads
- High level understanding of subsea AUV Control Systems and Navigation
- Experience in productization of prototype electronics systems
- Knowledge of underwater acoustic or optical communications hardware
- Experience with some underwater navigation sensors such as a DVL, INS, IMU, magnetometer, gyrocompass, altimeter, etc
- Experience with some underwater environmental sensors such as a CTD, camera, eDNA sampler, CH4 sensor, magnetometer, etc
- Familiarity with motor control systems and actuator integration
- Experience with environmental testing such as shock and vibe, humidity, thermal cycling, pressure testing, etc.
- Familiarity with modeling and analysis tools as well as data visualization software
Physical Requirements: Physical duties for this position include but are not limited to, ability to infrequently lift and carry 50 lbs or less independently, multiple times per day. Visual abilities to include near, far, peripheral, depth perception, and ability to distinguish basic colors. Hearing requirements include the ability to hear and respond to instructions, communicate effectively in loud areas (pier/dock, warehouse). Other physical tasks include occasional prolonged standing/walking; use of hands for basic /fine grasping and manipulation, repetitive motion, reaching above and below the shoulders, pushing, pulling, kneeling, bending, twisting, and stooping. Other occupational requirements include talking, traveling, working around others, and with others. Will be exposed to dust or other irritants and electrical/mechanical/power equipment hazards. Physical duties are subject to change.
Sea Duty: This is a sea-going position requiring up to 3 months per year (no more than one month continuously) aboard recreational, research, and commercial vessels locally or abroad with bonus sea-leave (PTO) accrued for days spent at sea at the rate defined by company policy.
Location: On-site, Plymouth, MA with flexible but limited work-from-home days on an as needed basis
Employment Type: Full-time exempt (salaried); expectation is 40 hours per week minimum and occasionally more as needed to meet critical deadlines with infrequent possibility for weekend work, off-hour work, and/or sea duty.
Orpheus Ocean is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $140,000.00 - $160,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Relocation assistance
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- What's your favorite body of water?
Work Location: In person
