Principal Geologist
About this role
About Endurance
Endurance is building the world's first modular subsea geothermal power plants, converting vast thermal resources under the ocean into gigawatts of baseload power. Backed by Founders Fund, Felicis, First Round Capital, and Point72 Ventures, our founding team includes veterans from SpaceX, Helion, Blue Origin, and Apple. We have completed multiple deep-ocean deployments to subsea volcanoes and are launching a long-term demonstration project this fall. By leveraging modular design, manufacturing scale, efficient drilling, and latent cooling on the seafloor, we are pioneering a new category of energy that outperforms traditional sources on environmental impact, deployment speed, and cost.
What you'll be doing
As the Principal Geologist at Endurance, you'll be at the forefront of identifying and characterizing the most promising subsea geothermal sites around the globe. You'll combine cutting-edge marine geology techniques with practical drilling operations experience to unlock the vast energy potential beneath the ocean floor. This role requires deep technical expertise in resource drilling and the scrappy, entrepreneurial mindset essential to pioneering an entirely new industry.
You'll wear multiple hats, working directly with our engineering teams to translate geological insights into actionable deployment strategies while also getting your hands dirty with field operations and data collection. In true startup fashion, you'll move fast, make decisions with incomplete information, and adapt quickly as we learn from each deployment. Your geological expertise will be fundamental to our mission of scaling clean energy infrastructure globally, and you'll have the autonomy to shape how we approach subsea geology as the company grows.
Key Responsibilities
Take ownership of geological and drilling decision-making with limited oversight and tight timelines
Lead geological site assessment and characterization for subsea geothermal installations along mid-ocean ridges and hydrothermal systems
Develop drilling strategies and wellbore designs optimized for subsea geothermal energy extraction
Analyze seafloor geology, heat flow patterns, and hydrothermal fluid characteristics to identify optimal drilling locations
Interpret geophysical surveys, bathymetric data, and subsurface imaging to map geological structures and thermal anomalies
Design and oversee geological sampling programs using ROVs, submersibles, and specialized drilling equipment
Collaborate with marine operations teams to plan and execute subsea drilling campaigns
Rapidly assess geological risks including seismic activity, seafloor stability, and thermal system variability
Create geological models to predict long-term reservoir performance and system sustainability
Support environmental impact assessments and regulatory permitting processes
Work across multiple disciplines - from geology to engineering to business development - as needed to move projects forward
Qualifications
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Geology, or Petroleum Engineering or related discipline (MS or PhD preferred).
Direct experience with drilling operations, including oil and gas, geothermal systems (including EGS), and/or deep water wells (2,000+ ft.). Demonstrated track record managing drilling projects with cumulative budgets in the $10M–$100M+ range.
Familiarity with drilling techniques, wellbore design, and completion techniques
4+ years of experience in the subsurface fluid resource sector (oil and gas, solution mining, or geothermal); experience at an operator strongly preferred.
Demonstrated ability to manage project budgets and control costs.
Experience interpreting geophysical data, (seismic, magnetics, etc.), well logs, and other subsurface geological information.
Background in hydrothermal systems, volcanic geology, or geothermal resource assessment
Ability to thrive in ambiguous, fast-moving environments with minimal structure and maximum autonomy
Comfortable making critical geological decisions with incomplete data and tight deadlines
Strong bias toward action and hands-on problem solving
Excellent adaptability and willingness to tackle challenges outside traditional geological scope
Preferred Skills
Offshore geoscience operations, including field experience on research vessels or offshore drilling platforms
Experience with ROV/AUV operations and subsea geological sampling techniques
Knowledge of reservoir engineering principles and geothermal fluid dynamics
Understanding of seafloor drilling systems (riserless drilling, seafloor templates, subsea wellheads)
Experience with geological risk assessment for offshore energy projects
Background in structural geology, tectonics, or volcanology
Compensation, Benefits, & Perks
As a pre-revenue startup, Endurance Energy offers competitive base salaries and generous equity packages for full-time employees. If you’re selected for consideration, a recruiter will be able to discuss in greater detail. Final base salary will be determined by an array of factors including internal equity, job-related knowledge, skills, and work experience.
A key aspect of our compensation philosophy is that value creation should be aligned with rewards. Right now this means equity is a significant portion of every full-time employee's compensation. As the company matures, there will be continued evolution and changes to the total rewards and total compensation package. What will always be true is that if we win, we win together. Equity is granted to every full-time employee as a meaningful piece of ownership. We believe the people building the company should share directly in the value they create.
In addition to a competitive base salary and equity, employees will receive all of our other great benefits and perks, including:
Benefits: Health, Dental, and Vision insurance coverage
Time Away: Flexible PTO including 12 paid company holidays
Global Fieldwork: Travel to fascinating deployment sites along oceanic ridges in locations like the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, Iceland, Japan, New Zealand, and the Azores
Hands-on Experience: Participate in sea trials and deployment operations in partnership with leading oceanographic institutions
Cutting-edge Development: Work with technology that spans high-power electronics, marine systems, and clean energy
Impactful Work: Help solve one of the world's most pressing challenges
Dive Certification: Company-sponsored recreational dive certification
Other Perks: Access to the company boat, free meals and snacks, and the list goes on!
How We Work
We believe the people on our team should live their best lives while doing their best work and that these should complement each other. That's why we've built our team around in-person, in-office collaboration: we think working shoulder to shoulder accelerates trust, speed, and the kind of spontaneous problem-solving that's hard to replicate remotely, especially at our stage. We support families and the unpredictability that comes with them.
Our total rewards package is subject to change and may be modified in the future.