Power Systems Engineer

What we’re building

Our vision is to electrify all waterborne vessels, and we're expanding on our success in the recreational market with commercial harborcraft.

Gas boats dominate today’s marine industry not because of great product offerings but because of a lack of better alternatives. Boaters have grown accustomed to vehicles that feel stuck in the 1980s: unreliable, expensive, loud, noxious, and a nightmare to own and operate. They’re also awful for the water and air they reside in.

By contrast, electric boats are superior in nearly every way: not only are they far more reliable and less costly to operate, but they’re also quieter, quicker, and cleaner, with no fumes or pollutants. However, they’ve been held back by both the technology and the talent to make them truly competitive with gas alternatives. That’s Arc’s opportunity.

Using modern, aerospace- and automotive-inspired techniques, we’re building our hulls, batteries, cooling systems, firmware, and software together to deliver the next generation of watercraft.

Who we’re looking for

As a Power Systems Engineer, you will be working full-time in our Torrance office on the Commercial Systems team reporting to our head of commercial architecture and working on designing new electric and hybrid propulsion systems to make port operations cheaper, quieter, and less emissive.

Core responsibilities

• Owning the design and integration of high voltage systems, including protection and control schemes

• Getting hands-on with wiring, testing, and debugging both high and low voltage systems

• Owning the development and use of bench test systems, ensuring feature parity between bench systems and production vessels

• Contributing to functional spec development, reviews and the proceeding SW/controls feature testing

• Supporting sea trials to validate and certify systems

• Interfacing with component suppliers, partner shipyards, and vessel operators, with occasional travel (5-10% of the time)

Basic qualifications

• Solid electrical fundamentals and electrical engineering knowledge

• Experience with power electronics and high voltage energy storage systems

• Experience with automotive and industrial communication protocols (CAN, LIN, Modbus, etc)

• Familiar with MATLAB/Simulink, oscilloscopes, and other specialized tools

• Practical experience designing, building, and troubleshooting hardware in production environments

• Clear written and verbal communication

• Strong time management skills

• Comfortable pushing at a fast but sustainable pace

• Comfortable spending time on boats in the field to collect test data

• We value engineers who take full ownership, apply first-principles thinking, and prioritize technical problems effectively for the most business value

Bonus qualifications

• Firsthand experience working on commercial vessels

• Understanding of ABS, USCG, and IEC standards for high-voltage and energy storage systems on commercial vessels

• Experience with functional safety (DFMEA, redundancy strategies) for mission-critical systems

• Experience with EMI/EMC and grounding in high-power marine or automotive environments, including filtering and shielding practices

• Familiar with firmware development for unit testing and integration

• Familiar with Linux, LTSpice, Zuken, and Altium

At Arc, we encourage diversity and consider all qualified applicants equally for employment, regardless of background, identity, or status. You’re always welcome to reach out even if you don’t meet many of these qualifications. Passion and aptitude make up for a lot.

Our values

We move with urgency and build with care. We value these five things above all else:

• Ownership over both your work and the company’s success

• Empathy for colleagues and for customers

• Humility in problem solving and collaboration

• Pragmatism for navigating ambiguity quickly and sensibly

• Inclusion of different backgrounds, opinions, cultures, and perspectives.

We want people who share and embody these values. It is vital that our values align - we’d be happy to elaborate on any or all of these during the interview process.

What we offer

•
We don’t think great work happens by accident. We invest in the people building Arc — because when you’re supported, you do your best work.

• Base salary between P2: $135,000 P3: $170,000 per year

• Ownership – Equity in Arc

• 99% employer-paid health coverage – Medical, dental, and vision

• Arc Water Fund – Annual stipend to get out on the water, however you choose

• Captain Training – Get certified to take the boat out with friends and family

• 401(k) access – Plan your future

• Semi-annual bonuses – Tied to your impact, not just your tenure

• Daily team lunches, snacks, and good coffee while onsite

• Parental leave – Because family comes first

• Boat days – Yes, we actually go out on the water. A lot.

• A chance to define the future of boating

The ability to drive positive environmental change through your work

Hope to hear from you soon!

The Crew at Arc