Technical Operations Engineer - Autonomous Surface Vehicles

About the role

Saildrone, a maritime defense company and global leader in autonomous unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), is seeking a Technical Operations Engineer for its Fleet Operations Team. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Technical Operations Engineer, you will ensure the reliability, performance and readiness of Saildrone's autonomous surface vehicles across their full lifecycle, from research and development and production to global deployments. The team provides first-line remote technical support and works with Engineering, Production and Operations.

Key responsibilities

• Resolve complex hardware, software and networking issues using Linux command-line tools, telemetry and shell scripting.
• Own technical outcomes for assigned vehicles, including reliability, performance (SLIs/SLOs) and operational readiness.
• Lead root cause analysis of field failures and drive corrective actions across design, process and tooling.
• Embed with Engineering design teams to give feedback on system architecture and evaluate solutions through system integration testing.
• Travel globally (up to 30%) to prepare vehicles, troubleshoot and run missions, overseeing third-party contractors.
• Take part in 24/7 on-call rotations for high-priority fleet incidents.
• Develop work instructions, process standards and technical training, and maintain records and inventories while following safety standards.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in engineering preferred (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Robotics, Software, Aerospace or related).
• 2+ years supporting complex embedded systems, robotics or autonomous hardware in production or field environments.
• Ability to read electrical diagrams, schematics and mechanical drawings to repair and modify equipment.
• Clear communication of complex technical failures to cross-functional partners and executives.
• Physical strength to lift up to 30 lbs, manual dexterity, comfort in confined spaces, heights and outdoor weather, and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 30% of the time, including driving rental vehicles.
• Able to work the 24/7 on-call schedule.

Required skills

• Serial and network protocols: CAN, RS-485, RS-232, SPI, I2C and TCP/IP.
• Linux and shell scripting; API experience is a plus.

What we offer

• Paid time off, annual holidays and paid sick leave.
• Medical, dental and vision coverage with company contributions.
• Equity grants and a 401(k) plan.
• Annual professional development reimbursement and relocation support for eligible roles.