About Us
With more than 2 million nautical miles sailed and 50,000 days at sea, Saildrone has earned the trust of governments worldwide. Our unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) deliver continuous, real-time intelligence in the toughest oceans on Earth—giving our partners faster awareness, stronger security, and a decisive edge at sea.
Our USVs are long-range, extreme-endurance platforms powered by advanced sensors and proprietary AI - they have been designed to operate where no crewed vessel can. They collect critical insights above and below the surface to support border security, law enforcement, naval operations, and undersea infrastructure protection.
Headquartered in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington, DC, and global deployment hubs, Saildrone operates missions worldwide. Join a fast-moving, mission-driven team at the intersection of AI, autonomy, and defense technology—where data turns into intelligence, and intelligence drives action.
The Role
We’re seeking a highly skilled and experienced Architect / Engineering Manager who will lead our Vehicle Infrastructure team! You will drive your team’s growth while ensuring the successful execution of the roadmap in alignment with software, firmware, and hardware teams, as well as overall business objectives. The scope of the Vehicle Infrastructure team includes:
- Linux OS and driver code integration for core and payload computes on the drone
- Integration for Nvidia embedded systems
- Satellite and wireless communications systems
- Onboard IP-networking strategies
- System confirmation management for computer and networking/routing hardware
What you’ll do
- Work with your team and engineering leaders and other technical and non-technical stakeholders to develop a high quality on-board software stack.
- Develop, review and ensure quality design of on-board software components that align to a consistent architectural approach.
- Utilize your engineering management skills to plan and execute along a roadmap defined by business objectives and informed by rigorous engineering design.
- Work with our technical program management team to align work to schedules and ensure delivery.
- Communicate in a friendly, supportive manner with engineers or other stakeholders, ensuring alignment and advocating for effective solutions.
- Engage with cross-functional teams of product managers, technical program managers, technical leads, hardware engineers, software engineers and infrastructure engineers.
- Mentor and facilitate career development for individual contributors.
- Work with engineering leadership to define and measure success of the vehicle systems software stack using rigorous key performance metrics.
- Drive and support a culture of rigorous design and test around software features.
Required Skills
- 8+ years of experience in embedded software, infrastructure systems management, or related fields
- 3+ years people management experience, including technical team leadership, scheduling, and resource planning
Desired Skills
- Board support package integration and bringup of new embedded Linux computers.
- Experience with standards such as CAN or Ethernet
- Bash scripting, and Python or similar scripting
- Build automation and deployment experience
- Hands-on experience with NXP i.MX8 family processors and Yocto
- Practical knowledge of video processing chips (Nvidia)
- Familiarity with camera technologies and video processing systems
- Kernel module code integration, C debugging
- Camera or perception payload experience
- Experience administering networks with variable latency and connectivity
- Multi-egress routing optimization
- Linux command line skills, preferably on arm64 or Nvidia platforms
- Python, Bash or similar scripting language for automating tasks
- Knowledge of systemd services and debugging
- Experience with network diagnostic tools like nmap, iperf, tcpdump/wireshark.
- Debugging of network issues, able to jump into problem solving, including mesh networking and UDP data streams.
- Hands on experience with power supplies, connectors, and wiring for single board computers.
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in related field (Robotics, CS, EE, etc)
Location: This position is on-site in Alameda, CA. Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda.
All employees are required to provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. within their first 3 days of work. Please note that the Company does not sponsor employees for work visas or permanent resident cards to work in the U.S. If you need sponsorship for a work visa or green card, you will not be qualified for employment with Saildrone.
Benefits:
- Paid time off, including vacation, bereavement, jury duty, sick time and parental leave
- Comprehensive and competitive medical, dental and vision plans, and HSA with employer matching.
- Company sponsored life insurance
- Stock Options
- Annual stipend for continued learning and development
- Quarterly company BBQs at our Alameda HQ (bring your friends and family!)
- Free Bay Area Public Transportation via AlamedaTMA with the BayPass Clipper Card
Individual compensation packages are based on geographic location, scope of the role, and relevant experience, among other factors.
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What We Do
Saildrone provides comprehensive turnkey data solutions for maritime security, ocean mapping, and ocean data. The company provides real-time access to critical data from any ocean on earth, 24/7/365, and uses proprietary software applications to transform that data into actionable insights and intelligence. Saildrone’s fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), powered by renewable wind and solar power, have a minimal carbon footprint and are designed to make ocean intelligence cost-effective at scale. Saildrones operate 24/7/365, without the need for a crewed support vehicle, and have sailed over 750,000 nautical miles from the Arctic to the Antarctic and spent more than 17,000 days at sea in the harshest ocean conditions on the planet.
