About The Ocean Cleanup
The mission of The Ocean Cleanup is to develop technology to rid the world’s 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 lifecycle—from 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.
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, you'll have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects in a fast-paced environment, where you'll create fit-for-purpose solutions from scratch and scale them for deployment across global interceptor efforts. You’ll 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 world’s oceans of plastic.
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.
Make a Global Impact: Your work will contribute directly to our mission to clean the world’s oceans of plastic—giving 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 you'll 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: You'll be exposed to new technologies, approaches, and challenges every day, with opportunities for continuous improvement and growth—both technically and in leadership.
Hands-On Experience: From floating systems to submerged foundations, you’ll 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.
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.
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.
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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