Senior Software Engineer, Robotics

About Us

Saildrone is a defense company delivering maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance products to military, homeland security, and commercial customers. Saildrone unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) are extreme-endurance platforms equipped with advanced sensors and proprietary AI to provide persistent insights above and below the sea surface. Insights that support border security, law enforcement, undersea infrastructure protection, hydrography, and naval power applications. With more than 2,000,000 nautical miles sailed and 50,000 days at sea, Saildrone USVs are trusted by governments across the planet and set the standard for cost-efficient maritime intelligence in the world's harshest environments.

We are based in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington DC and St. Petersburg, FL, and operate missions worldwide. This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting-edge intersection of big data services, autonomy, and AI. You will be part of a high-performing, multidisciplinary team delivering data, intelligence, and firepower for strategic superiority.

The Role

We’re seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Robotics Software Engineer to join our core vehicle systems team. In this role, you'll lead efforts to integrate and support new sensors and hardware subsystems for our autonomous marine vehicles. Your expertise in C++, along with a solid foundation in robotics and real-world hardware integration, will be key to evolving our capabilities in data acquisition, navigation, and autonomy. You will be responsible for developing and maintaining critical onboard software components, including telemetry systems (data libraries and satellite communications), actuator control, and power system interfaces. A significant focus of this role is expanding our vehicle's ability to support emerging capabilities, including bringing up new devices, managing sensor data streams, and coordinating across hardware and firmware teams.

As a senior engineer, you'll guide the technical direction of our codebase, architect robust interfaces for new hardware, and mentor junior engineers. You’ll play a crucial role in ensuring our software remains high-quality, efficient, and reliable in extreme, long-duration deployments. Saildrones operate in some of the world’s harshest maritime environments for up to a year at sea. This demands a rigorous approach to hardware-in-the-loop testing, thoughtful design for constrained compute environments, and software that can adapt to the evolving capabilities of our hardware.

This role is required to be onsite in Alameda, CA in the Bay Area 3 days per week - this is our hybrid model. This is not a remote position.

Required skills and experience

• 6+ years of professional software development experience, with expert-level proficiency in C++

• Proven track record integrating sensors and hardware in robotics or autonomous systems

• Strong system architecture and algorithm design skills for resource-constrained environments

• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams across hardware, firmware, and testing

• Demonstrated leadership and mentorship abilities with excellent communication skills

• BA/BS in related field

Desired skills and experience

• Experience with oceanographic, navigation, or environmental sensors, including calibration and validation

• Proficiency in Python for scripting, tooling, and data analysis

• Familiarity with simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing environments

• Knowledge of communication protocols (TCP/IP, CAN, J1939, NMEA-2000) and interfacing with embedded firmware

• Experience with protobuf and interfacing with cloud systems

Physical requirements

● Work is performed on a computer and requires ability to operate a keyboard and other peripheral devices.

Location: This is a hybrid position reporting to our Alameda, CA 3 days per week. 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

• Plenty of snacks in our 3 office locations

• Dog-friendly work environment

A reasonable estimate of the current range is $176,400-$226,800 annually.

Catch up on the latest news about us:

Danish Military Using Robotic Sailboats for Surveillance in Baltic and North Seas – AP
USVs Guarding the Global Backbone – Inside Unmanned Systems
NATO Testing Baltic Sea Drones to Track Russian Warships, Freighters – Defense News
US Navy Saildrones On – SIGNAL Magazine
The British Engineer Behind the US Navy’s High-tech Ocean Drones – The Times of London
Counter-drug Sea Drones Utilized by Navy as Trump Ramps Up Military Resources at the Border – Fox News
Saildrone, Palantir Partner to Use AI to Streamline USV Manufacturing, Operations – Breaking Defense
An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast – San Francisco Chronicle
TIME 100 Most Influential Companies 2024: Saildrone

Individual compensation packages are based on geographic location, scope of the role, relevant experience, and the ability to deal with complexity and problem solve within our organization, among other factors.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Any unsolicited resumes/candidate profiles submitted through our website or to personal email accounts of employees of Saildrone are considered property of Saildrone and are not subject to payment of agency fees.

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