SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 150,000 - 190,000 / annual
Panthalassa is a renewable energy and ocean technology company developing devices (Nodes) that generate energy in harsh ocean conditions without human maintenance. The company is a public benefit corporation headquartered in Portland, Oregon, backed by leading venture capitalists and philanthropic investors, with a team drawn from SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, Tesla, Apple, and other leading organizations.
This Senior Technical Program Manager role is based at Panthalassa's new Pilot Manufacturing campus in Vancouver, Washington, where Ocean-3 Nodes transition from design to production. The facility encompasses heavy fabrication, blast and coatings, and full Node integration.
You will own the path to repeatable production by defining and tracking manufacturing process qualification requirements. Your primary deliverable is velocity: sequencing process development work, surfacing constraints early, and keeping engineering effort focused on qualification gates critical to the pilot program. You will maintain visibility into process readiness, outstanding evidence, and blocking issues across the cross-functional team.
Key responsibilities include:
- Managing project milestone schedules for pilot manufacturing process development with clear stakeholder communication on status, risks, and dependencies
- Leading design and test sprint planning for the internal manufacturing team, balancing resources and competing priorities
- Driving clear-to-build decisions by closing gaps in engineering release, material availability, tooling, and work instructions
- Supporting the transition from development to pilot production through manufacturing readiness reviews and DFM feedback
- Collaborating with procurement, external suppliers, and fabrication partners to ensure timely, high-quality component delivery
- Coordinating new equipment and tooling readiness from delivery through qualification
- Monitoring and escalating program risks with proactive mitigation strategies
- Developing documentation and tools supporting production execution and scaling per TPM best practices
You will work feet away from weld seams and paint booths, helping build the line that builds the fleet in a creative, scrappy, and collaborative environment.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical field
- 2+ years managing technical programs in manufacturing process development environments, with direct responsibility for coordinating materials, equipment availability, and teams in pilot production
- 5+ years in hardware engineering or manufacturing engineering environments
- Proven track record leading cross-functional teams to meet aggressive timelines
- Direct experience with change management systems, PLM/MES/ERP tools, and configuration control processes
- Experience coordinating external suppliers and fabrication partners
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- Excellent written and verbal communication, including presenting to senior leadership
- Ability to thrive in fast-paced, dynamic, collaborative environments
- Ability to travel for site visits and partner engagements
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience across full manufacturing lifecycle (development through pilot, ramp, and sustaining production)
- Experience standing up new production lines or manufacturing facilities
- Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals for large welded or fabricated steel structures with hands-on manufacturing exposure
- Hardware product development experience in startup or early-stage environments
