Mission Manager - Middle East

About the role

Saildrone, a maritime defense company and global leader in autonomous unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), is hiring a Mission Manager for its Mission Execution team in Abu Dhabi. Reporting to the Manager of Mission Control, you will plan, coordinate and execute on-the-water operations, turn customer objectives into mission plans, ensure fleet readiness and keep operations aligned with internal teams and external stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate global mission operations to meet schedule and performance targets, leading mission feasibility assessments with Sales and Program Delivery
• Liaise with the Coast Guard, Port Captains and VTS, managing access permissions for reserves and sanctuaries and required reporting
• Work with customers through the Mission Portal on routing, CONOPS and technical troubleshooting, connecting them to internal subject matter experts
• Coordinate daily with fleet captains to manage drone allocation, deployments and recoveries
• Monitor fleet navigation anomalies, weather risks and payload status, resolving issues through real-time 24/7 tasking of the piloting team
• Refine Mission Control SOPs and contribute to customer training materials and process documentation
• Share vehicle performance and health feedback with Product and R&D teams
• Meet watch and mission commitments, manage timelines and give status updates to executives while following COLREGS and maritime safety standards

Required profile

• Experience in maritime operations, autonomous systems, defense, aerospace or complex technical operations
• Experience in command-and-control, operations centers or real-time mission environments
• Strong written and verbal communication with technical, operational and executive stakeholders
• Ability to prioritize, troubleshoot and decide under pressure, and to turn mission requirements into operational plans
• Willingness to travel up to 50% and possible off-hours and on-call support; fluency in Arabic is a plus

Required skills

• Working knowledge of navigation, COLREGS and maritime safety practices
• Passion for autonomous technology, maritime awareness and ocean data

What we offer

• Paid time off, annual holidays and paid sick leave
• Medical, dental and vision coverage with company contributions for employees and dependents
• Equity grants
• 401(k) retirement plan with pre-tax and Roth options
• Annual professional development reimbursement
• Relocation assistance for eligible roles