Interview scorecard template

Ocean Cleanup Engineer interview scorecard

Evaluate Ocean Cleanup Engineer candidates across 4 weighted areas: technical depth, work that shipped, diagnosis under uncertainty, and working across the org. Technical depth leads at 35%, so probe their command of marine hydrodynamics and station-keeping: drag on floating barriers, mooring analysis in OrcaFlex, sea-state limits, biofouling and corrosion allowances, DNV. Use the rubric to compare role-specific evidence consistently.

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engineering applied sciencehydrodynamicsmarine debrismooring analysisoffshore systems
TL;DR
For technical depth, look for evidence the candidate talks fluently about load cases, catenary versus taut mooring choices, fatigue on tow points, and cites specific code clauses they designed to. For work that shipped, look for evidence the candidate names deployed systems with locations, capture tonnage, deployment duration, and what they redesigned after the first season at sea. Apply the written 1–5 anchors to every answer, record the evidence behind each rating, and use the factor weights to reach a consistent overall assessment.
Complete evaluation framework

What to assess and how to score it

Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.

01
Evaluation factor

Technical depth

35% weight

Probe their command of marine hydrodynamics and station-keeping: drag on floating barriers, mooring analysis in OrcaFlex, sea-state limits, biofouling and corrosion allowances, DNV or ABS design codes.

Evidence to listen for

  • Explains the physics or mechanism behind their work, not just the tooling
  • Names the standards, tolerances, and constraints they designed against
  • Can defend a design decision under follow-up questions
  • Distinguishes what they personally engineered from what the team delivered

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Cannot explain the fundamentals of their own stated specialism.

2
Needs Improvement

Knows the vocabulary but not the underlying mechanism; struggles under follow-ups.

3
Satisfactory

Solid working knowledge for the role; depth thins out on edge cases.

4
Very Good

Strong command of the domain; explains trade-offs and defends decisions well.

5
Excellent

Talks fluently about load cases, catenary versus taut mooring choices, fatigue on tow points, and cites specific code clauses they designed to.

02
Evaluation factor

Work that shipped

30% weight

Ask what physically went in the water: river interceptors, retention booms, ocean sweep systems, sorting or dewatering rigs. Look for tonnes of plastic captured and uptime figures.

Evidence to listen for

  • Names specific programmes, parts, or systems that reached production or field use
  • States their own scope inside the project
  • Can give measured outcomes: yield, cycle time, cost, failure rate
  • Explains what went wrong and what they changed

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No delivered work; experience is coursework, lab-only, or purely observational.

2
Needs Improvement

Contributed to projects but cannot say what shipped or what their part was.

3
Satisfactory

Has delivered real work; outcomes described without numbers.

4
Very Good

Names shipped work and their scope, with some measured results.

5
Excellent

Names deployed systems with locations, capture tonnage, deployment duration, and what they redesigned after the first season at sea.

03
Evaluation factor

Diagnosis under uncertainty

20% weight

Test how they handled failures offshore: barrier overtopping, catch escaping the retention zone, snapped bridles, bycatch in the net, unexpected debris size distribution.

Evidence to listen for

  • Describes a real failure they chased to root cause
  • Shows a method: isolate variables, reproduce, measure, eliminate
  • Distinguishes correlation from cause
  • Says what they ruled out and why, not only what the answer turned out to be

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No diagnostic method; guesses or escalates immediately.

2
Needs Improvement

Trial and error with no structure; cannot explain how they narrowed the cause.

3
Satisfactory

Reasonable method on familiar problems; less structured on novel ones.

4
Very Good

Clear systematic approach with a real root-cause story.

5
Excellent

Reconstructs a failure with field data (GPS drift, load cells, camera footage), states the root cause, and describes the verified fix.

04
Evaluation factor

Working across the org

15% weight

Assess coordination with vessel crews, port authorities, environmental permitting, recycling offtakers, and marine biologists on bycatch monitoring during campaigns.

Evidence to listen for

  • Explains technical constraints to non-technical stakeholders without condescension
  • Has negotiated scope, cost, or timeline with manufacturing, product, or suppliers
  • Documents decisions so others can act on them
  • Takes review feedback without defensiveness

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Cannot communicate outside their specialism; dismissive of other functions.

2
Needs Improvement

Communication gaps cause rework; avoids stakeholder contact.

3
Satisfactory

Works adequately with other teams; documentation is thin.

4
Very Good

Communicates clearly across functions; reliable collaborator.

5
Excellent

Describes negotiating permit conditions or bycatch protocols and adjusting engineering plans to fit crew, port, and offtake constraints.

Evidence-led prompts

Interview questions for a Ocean Cleanup Engineer

Use these prompts to surface evidence for the weighted factors above and compare candidates against the same role-specific criteria.

  1. 01

    Can you describe your experience with marine engineering projects?

  2. 02

    What experience do you have with remote or autonomous marine systems?

  3. 03

    Have you worked with oceanographic data or marine surveys?

  4. 04

    What do you consider when designing for prolonged saltwater exposure?

  5. 05

    How do you ensure safety and reliability in a harsh maritime environment?

See the complete Ocean Cleanup Engineer question set
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