VP, Engineering at Arc Boats in Torrance, CA

What we’re building

The marine industry supports recreation, global commerce, and national defense. And yet it runs on technology that hasn't meaningfully changed in fifty years. Until now.

Arc is on a mission to electrify the marine industry. We're rethinking powertrains, software, and vessel designs from first principles. And we're already executing. We started with consumers to develop and harden our core technology. We’re now scaling production of our flagship model with new models and sectors on the horizon. Now we’re extending our platform to commercial applications, starting with tugs, ferries, and defense, with years worth of signed contracts and a pipeline that spans every vessel type on the water.

The technology is proven, the momentum is building, and the opportunity is enormous. The marine industry is going electric and Arc is building the platform that powers it

Who we're looking for

As Arc’s VP of Engineering you will define and build the core technology platforms that will power the future of electric boating. Working alongside the CTO, you'll lead the engineering vision, roadmap, and execution of the battery, electrical architecture, powertrain, electromechanical, structural, and integrated vehicle platforms that underpin every Arc product. These common technology platforms—tightly integrated with software at their core—will enable an entirely new generation of consumer and commercial electric vessels.

This role is responsible for building the engineering organization that will solve those challenges. You'll lead advanced R&D, new product development, sustaining engineering, and responsible engineering while creating scalable technology platforms that unlock entirely new classes of electric marine products. If successful, your work won't just define Arc—it will help define the future of electric boating.

What You'll Do

• Building and leading Arc's Hardware Engineering organization, owning advanced R&D, new product development, sustaining engineering, and responsible engineering across the complete lifecycle of our consumer and commercial technology platforms.
• Defining the vision, architecture, and roadmap for Arc's battery, electrical, powertrain, electromechanical, structural, and integrated vehicle platforms, creating a common technology stack that powers future products across multiple markets.
• Building one of the world's best hardware engineering teams by recruiting exceptional leaders, developing technical talent, establishing high engineering standards, and creating a culture of ownership, first-principles thinking, and relentless execution.
• Partnering with executive leadership to identify new product opportunities, make foundational technical and organizational decisions, and deliver industry-defining products that balance customer experience, performance, manufacturability, reliability, cost, and speed.
• Continuously simplifying products, architectures, and engineering processes to reduce complexity, improve quality, accelerate development, and create durable competitive advantages.
• Partnering closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Software, Manufacturing, and Sales & Service to ensure every platform is designed, launched, manufactured, supported, and continuously improved throughout its lifecycle.

Minimum Qualifications

• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary hardware engineering organizations responsible for developing complex electromechanical products from early architecture through high-volume production.
• Strong systems-level understanding of battery systems, electrical architecture, powertrain, electromechanical systems, structures, and hardware-software integration, with the ability to make thoughtful technical and organizational tradeoffs.
• Proven track record of building and developing exceptional engineering organizations by recruiting top talent, coaching engineering leaders, and fostering a culture of ownership, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Experience defining long-term technology roadmaps and platform strategies that enable multiple products, customer segments, or vehicle applications to leverage common architectures.
• Demonstrated ability to balance customer experience, engineering rigor, manufacturability, reliability, cost, schedule, and business objectives while making high-impact product decisions.
• Exceptional communication and leadership skills, with experience aligning cross-functional organizations and influencing executive stakeholders through periods of rapid growth and organizational change.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience leading hardware engineering organizations within automotive, aerospace, robotics, consumer electronics, marine, or other complex hardware industries.
• Experience developing electric vehicles, battery systems, power electronics, high-voltage architectures, or other advanced electromechanical platforms.
• Experience leading multiple successful new product introductions while simultaneously supporting sustaining engineering and high-rate production.
• Passion for building industry-defining products and organizations that combine world-class hardware, software, and customer experience.

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.

What we offer

The base salary for this role is $300,000 annually.

Highly competitive equity grants are included with full time offers. As well as semi-annual bonuses tied to your impact, not just your tenure.

Additionally, Arc offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

• Healthcare benefits — 99% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision
• Parental leave — 14 weeks fully paid for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Generous time off — Highly competitive PTO with an opportunity to earn more time with tenure
• Income protection — Life and disability insurance for all employees
• Retirement savings — Traditional and Roth 401(k) access
• Water fund — $500 for you to spend each year to get out on the water, however you choose
• Professional development — $500 annual reimbursement for professional development and a monthly AI stipend
• Safety Support- Annual reimbursement for PPE, ergonomic equipment and anything that ensures we keep our crew safe
• Captain training — Training and access to take Arcboats out with friends and family
• Office perks — Daily lunches, snacks, and good coffee while onsite
• Relocation assistance — Available depending on role eligibility.

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.