Senior Mechanical Engineer, Drilling

Senior Mechanical Engineer, Drilling

Endurance is developing modular seafloor geothermal power plants that harness the vast thermal energy beneath the ocean floor to provide gigawatts of clean, reliable energy. We're addressing the critical power bottleneck facing AI infrastructure development while creating a path toward energy independence and decarbonization across the globe.

Backed by premier venture capital firms including First Round Capital and Point72 Ventures, our exceptional founding team includes veterans from SpaceX, Robinhood, Helion, and Neuralink, with specialized expertise in complex thermal and fluid systems and business development.

We’re seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer, Drilling to lead the design, execution, and lifecycle integrity of our offshore geothermal wells.

This is a foundational role: you will architect and operate deepwater drilling systems from first principles, design completion strategies that preserve and protect our thermal resources, and ensure our wells perform reliably in extreme subsea environments. You will own “the hole” — from drill bit selection and hydraulics to casing design, cementing strategy, zonal isolation, and long-term well integrity — and play a central role in proving and scaling a new class of offshore energy infrastructure.

The Role

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer, Drilling, you will design and operate deep offshore drilling systems capable of safely and efficiently constructing geothermal wells beneath approximately one mile of water. You will be responsible for the full well architecture — drilling methodology, casing and cement design, zonal isolation philosophy, completion strategy, and long-term thermal and mechanical integrity.

You will blend rigorous theoretical understanding (rock mechanics, wellbore stability, hydraulics, thermal stresses, cement chemistry, fracture behavior) with deep field experience. This is not a desk-only role. We are looking for someone who has personally designed and deployed hardware in challenging drilling environments and understands the difference between a clean model and a messy ocean.

You will work cross-functionally with geoscience, subsea systems, power cycle, and operations teams to ensure our wells maximize flow, protect reservoir integrity, prevent scaling and unwanted mixing, and interface cleanly with subsea generation systems. As we scale, you will either continue as a highly leveraged senior individual contributor or build and lead a world-class wells team.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect and design deepwater geothermal well systems from spud to completion

• Develop drilling programs including BHA design, hydraulics modeling, torque & drag analysis, mud program, and trajectory planning

• Design casing and cementing programs for thermal gradients, long-term integrity, and reservoir protection

• Lead zonal isolation and completion strategy to prevent unwanted fluid mixing and preserve resource longevity

• Define well control philosophy appropriate for non-hydrocarbon, high-temperature offshore environments

• Serve as technical owner for our custom seafloor drilling robot, working directly with the vendor to define requirements, review designs, and drive upgrades

• Contribute to the mechanical, hydraulic, and control system architecture of the seafloor drill system to ensure it is fit-for-purpose for geothermal wells

• Lead offshore drilling operations from our vessels, operating and optimizing the seafloor drill system in real-world conditions

• Work alongside offshore contractors and internal teams to execute drilling campaigns safely and efficiently

• Troubleshoot real-time drilling and equipment issues under offshore operating constraints

• Develop risk registers and mitigation strategies for well construction, equipment reliability, and lifecycle integrity

• Integrate well design with subsea power pod and production system requirements

• Establish engineering standards, documentation practices, and operational discipline appropriate for deepwater drilling systems

• Mentor future well engineers and help build the wells organization as we scale

Qualifications

• 5–15 years of experience in mechanical engineering, drilling, or well engineering; experience with downhole hardware is strongly preferred, though backgrounds in subsea, aerospace, or other technically demanding hardware domains will be considered

• Demonstrated experience designing complex hardware from scratch in environments where the playbook didn't exist and owning it end to end

• Deep understanding of wellbore stability, hydraulics, rock mechanics, cementing, casing design, and thermal effects

• Strong knowledge of industry standards (API, ISO, relevant offshore regulatory frameworks) and how to apply them intelligently

• Experience with high-temperature, unconventional, or geothermal wells strongly preferred

• Ability to think from first principles and challenge legacy oil & gas assumptions where appropriate

• High ownership mentality — comfortable being the single-threaded owner of a critical system

• Strong cross-disciplinary communication skills and ability to collaborate with geoscientists, mechanical engineers, and operations teams

• Entrepreneurial mindset and willingness to operate in ambiguity while building something new

Benefits & Perks

• Hands-on Experience: Work directly with large-scale, cutting-edge clean energy systems and participate in sea trials

• Impact-Driven Work: Contribute to solving one of the world’s most pressing challenges — clean, reliable power generation

• Competitive Compensation: 150K-250K base range and meaningful equity compensation

• Benefits: Health, dental, and vision coverage

• PTO: Unlimited with advanced notice

Endurance is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.