Principal Naval Architect

The ocean is the largest undeveloped frontier on earth — and the next chapter of abundant energy will be written at sea. We're building the infrastructure to power it.

About Ocean Atomics (OA)

Ocean Atomics is an American company designing, licensing, and assembling a standardized nuclear electric power plant and the surrounding support systems for maritime applications. We will install these plants on any vessel built to our nuclear-ready standards, and will provide end-to-end sustainment in our planned nuclear lifecycle dockyard. We will help develop the licensed operators to unlock this new capability for your energy intensive application at sea. To move fast and to lead the creation of this new market, we are leveraging the compact, proven systems enabled by water-cooled reactors.

Our mission

Scale nuclear energy. Power generations.

Our vision

A maritime commons thriving with abundant, economical, modern, and safe nuclear-powered activity — built, serviced, and staffed by re-industrialized American shipyards and people.

Role Summary

We are seeking a uniquely talented and highly motivated senior naval architect to help build the future of energy at sea. The Principal Naval Architect commands the hydrodynamic, structural, and spatial architecture of Ocean Atomics maritime systems design. You will serve as the technical authority charged with leading the design, development, analysis of hull form, arrangements, structures, mechanical systems, and certification standards that allow marine vessels to safely integrate our nuclear technology and operate at sea.

You will lead the Naval Architecture domain—overseeing specialists in Structures, Hydrodynamics & Stability, Arrangements & Weights, and Habitability—from initial concept through deployment into global markets and lifecycle sustainment. To succeed, you must bring deep technical experience, a strong bias for action, a demonstrated ability to work across disparate complex disciplines, and significant creativity grounded in regulatory pragmatism. You will play a critical role in establishing the maritime technical basis of this vast future market by designing marine standards, systems, and structures that allow nuclear energy to scale on a planetary basis.

The ideal candidate thrives in balancing complex regulatory milestones with fast moving design cycles, while managing class & flag reviews as collaborative, formative problem-solving rather than box-checking.

What You'll Do

• Lead hull design, structural configurations, and marine systems architecture, ensuring all designs optimize stability, station-keeping, plant protection, and long-term environmental survivability.

• Direct hydrodynamic and stability calculations, including resistance, propulsion, seakeeping, and maneuvering simulations

• Collaborate across engineering disciplines to perform CAD modeling, structural design arrangement and analysis, and weight management.

• Oversee model testing and validation to anchor design decisions in real data

• Mentor and develop Structures, Hydrodynamics, Arrangements, and Habitability engineering leads, ensuring cross-functional design harmony with our nuclear team.

• Anchor our marine technical strategy through successful class society and flag state reviews while helping shape international regulatory milestones.

What You Bring

Required

• Advanced degree in Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, or related engineering discipline

• Track record of architecting large-scale marine structures from concept through regulatory approval and deployment. Typically built over 12+ years of engineering leadership in commercial shipbuilding, offshore energy, or first-of-a-kind marine platform design. Depth of experience, design cycles, and successful leadership of major marine projects is valued above years of experience.

• Direct experience leading class society (ABS, LR, etc.) and flag state (USCG, etc.) review processes.

Preferred

• Experience with highly regulated vessel classes.

• International regulatory experience (IMO, foreign flag states).

• Track record of building and mentoring engineering teams from the ground up.

Don't meet every bullet? We'd still like to hear from you. If you're excited by the mission and most of this resonates, apply.

Export control notice

This position involves access to information subject to U.S. export control laws (ITAR and/or EAR). Any offer is contingent on your ability to work in compliance with these laws, and Ocean Atomics LLC may apply for U.S. government authorization where needed. We evaluate all applicants regardless of citizenship or national origin, except where required by law.

Why this matters

Every industry on Earth needs scalable, clean energy, and the ocean is the ideal place to unlock it. Joining Ocean Atomics means building real, lasting infrastructure — the kind that powers generations. The world needs abundant energy. Let's make it happen.

Ocean Atomics LLC is an equal opportunity employer.

We are committed to a workplace free of discrimination and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations; if you need an accommodation during the application process, contact info@oceanatomics.com.