MISSION TO METRICS

The mission of The Ocean Cleanup is to develop and scale advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. In the River Team, we aim to prevent floating plastic from being emitted into the oceans through the most polluted rivers in the world. As Head of Product Innovation, you will enable a fast global scale-up of innovative solutions for plastic extraction in rivers. This includes improving our current solutions portfolio, selecting and assessing 3rd party solutions, and developing new solutions that meet the requirements for specific river characteristics.

“The best part of working at The Ocean Cleanup is that you’re continuously making an impact and working towards a better world. This role is focused on one goal: ensuring we have access to best-in-class products for in-river plastic interceptions, either from our proprietary portfolio or sourced from 3rd party solution portfolios. This unique role allows you to combine professional qualifications with a purposeful job." – Tames Rietdijk, River Director

RESPONSIBILITIES

The River Team is scaling up the deployments of our technology to intercept plastic before it reaches the ocean. As Head of Product Innovation, you will be tasked with filling the gaps between river characteristics and our Interceptor Solution portfolio. As no two rivers are the same, we need to continuously expand and improve our portfolio of Interceptor Solutions to match the requirements of selected rivers. You are responsible for leading the River Product Innovation team and providing timely and high-quality product and solution deliverables. You will oversee the solutions portfolio and interface with other team leads and our product innovation partners. 

Other responsibilities include:

• Lead a multi-disciplinary engineering team toward timely and high-quality deliverables 
• Collaborate with river surveyors, operations managers, and project leads to develop and improve innovative solutions and product strategies that support our mission
• Manage the Interceptor Solutions portfolio with a strong focus on “doing the right things and doing them right”, focusing on improving the overall efficacy of portfolio constituents, more specifically: the efficiency, uptime, and utilization of the products.
• Develop and implement processes for our innovative engineering activities, including technical validation and aligning with other teams for operational and partner validation
• End responsible for the quality assurance of our engineering analyses
• Coach a young and highly motivated team of 8 to 12 engineers, preferably endorsing an agile working method
• Prepare and manage outsourced engineering work packages
• Manage the budget for improving the efficacy of our current solutions, adopting and adapting 3rd party solutions, the research and development of new (currently non-existing) solutions, and the team budget.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree in engineering
• At least 10 years of relevant work experience in lead engineer roles, preferably in an innovation environment
• Experienced with hydrodynamic, marine, and structural engineering
• Experienced team leader in product development and product management
• Experienced with cross-cultural communication and management
• Fluent in English

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Able to perform well in a fast-paced and challenging environment
• Meticulous, detail-oriented, well-structured
• Team player with a coaching and growth mindset, flexible 
• Strong communication skills
• Excellent leadership skills
• Intrinsic motivation to work on our ambitious and meaningful goal

Starting from:

ASAP

Work permit needed:

European Union

A valid European Union work permit is highly preferred for this position. However, feel free to send an open application so we can contact you if an opportunity arises in your country.

Interviews have started, but please feel free to apply, as we might consider new applications.

Apply now