THE COMPANY Saildrone is a maritime defense company and the global leader in autonomous unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator, Saildrone maintains active, combat-deployed systems supporting national security and force projection around the world, 24/7/365. Saildrone’s manufacturing and R&D headquarters are located in Alameda, CA, with business development and sales operations in Washington, DC, and deployment hubs in Europe and the Middle East.

By combining proven autonomous operations, edge computing, advanced sensing, renewable power, and the most advanced and robust unmanned surface technology on the planet, Saildrone is shaping how the Navy of the future operates. Join a fast-moving, mission-driven team at the forefront of maritime security and autonomous innovation. THE POSITION Saildrone is seeking a Technical Operations Engineer to join our Fleet Operations Team.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Technical Operations Engineer, you will play a critical role in ensuring the reliability, performance, and readiness of Saildrone’s autonomous surface vehicles across their full lifecycle; from research and development, production, through global deployments, in all operating environments. We are looking for a systems-minded engineer who thrives in ambiguity, moves quickly from problem to root cause, and translates real-world vehicle performance into actionable engineering and operational improvements. THE TEAM The Technical Operations team provides first line remote technical support to ensure Saildrone’s autonomous systems perform reliably in the world’s most demanding maritime environments.

We partner with Engineering, Production, and Operations to bridge design and deployment, accelerate product iteration, and deliver resilient systems that support national security, maritime intelligence, and science exploration missions.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Advanced Diagnostics: Resolve complex hardware, software, and networking issues using Linux command-line tools, telemetry, and shell scripting to ensure mission success. System Ownership: Own technical outcomes for assigned vehicles, including reliability, performance (SLIs/SLOs), and operational readiness. Root Cause Analysis: Lead deep-dive RCA for field failures; order causes by likelihood using imperfect datasets and drive corrective actions across design, process, and tooling.

Embedded Collaboration: Embed with Engineering design teams to provide feedback on system architecture and help evaluate solutions via system integration testing. Global Deployment: Deploy globally (up to 30% travel) to lead vehicle preparation, troubleshooting, and mission execution, including the oversight of third-party contractors. Incident Response: Participate in on-call rotations to provide real-time troubleshooting for high-priority autonomous fleet incidents.

Documentation & Training: Develop clear work instructions, process standards, and technical training to bridge the gap from prototype to scalable operation. Operational Maintenance: Maintain appropriate records and inventories while following and improving strict safety and work standards.

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree in engineering preferred; Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Robotics, Software, Aerospace or a related technical discipline. 2+ years of experience supporting complex embedded systems, robotics, or autonomous hardware in production or field environments. Ability to independently interpret electrical diagrams/schematics and mechanical drawings to execute repairs and modifications.

Hands-on experience with serial and network protocols (CAN, RS-485, RS-232, SPI, I2C, and TCP/IP). Comfortable with Linux OS and the ability to write/understand shell scripts for diagnostic tasks; experience with APIs is a plus.