Overview

About Us:
Saildrone designs and manufactures wind and solar powered autonomous surface vehicles called Saildrones, which make cost-effective ocean data collection possible at scale. We are working with governments, civic agencies, foundations, universities and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas – be it in mapping out the ocean floor, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, counting bio-mass to establish fishing quotas, or detecting and stopping illegal fishing and drug trafficking. We believe that better inputs in planetary models in turn yield better outputs and that the new insights gained in weather forecasting, carbon cycling, global fishing and climate change will have tremendous impact on humanity. We are based in Alameda, CA and are backed by Social Capital, The Capricorn Investment Group, Lux Capital, Horizons Venture and The Schmidt Family Foundation.

The Role:
This position will work closely with a teams of engineers, product managers, and engineering leadership to plan and execute a software roadmap for vehicle code running on Saildrones. This will involve software that commands and navigates drones remotely in real time, sensors and scientific payloads that gather data for clients, and camera-driven ML systems which identify ships and obstacles on the horizon. You’ll work closely with all parties involved – managing engineers directly, conducting 1v1s and performance reviews, marshalling and tracking work for engineering teams through to completion each sprint. You’ll also be coordinating with other managers to lay a course for future work and resourcing on a quarterly basis.

Requirements:

  • You will be working closely with a highly technical software stack, so mastery of software engineering is essential.
  • Not merely tracking work, You will help the team make good software design decisions. We are looking for a candidate who has transitioned their career from software engineering to software management.
  • Experience with compiled languages (C, C++, Golang, Objective-C, or Swift) and ARM architectures is ideal, but candidates with an exceptional track record in python will be considered.
  • Demonstrated track record managing teams of engineers (5 or more) is strongly preferred.
  • Collaborative work style, placing achieving common goals first
  • This role requires extensive hands on time with our team based in Alameda, CA HQ
  • Proven advocacy for teams and experience leading others to excel is essential.

Bonus Points:

  • Experience with modern Agile software management practices
  • High comfort level prioritizing the work of software engineering teams
  • JIRA experience

Location:

This position is located in Alameda, CA. Only candidates with proper permits to work in the United States can be considered. Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda. Even our walls have good karma, our offices mix software development with a hardware production line in the former airplane hangar used to film ‘The Matrix’.

Benefits:

  • Medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents
  • Active sailing classes: become a certified skipper on boats up to 35ft! (once COVID safety allows)
  • Short and relaxing ferry ride from the Ferry Building for SF residents
  • Enhanced paternity / maternity programs
  • Competitive benefits including excellent medical, discounted gym, life insurance, 401k plan

This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing post series-B startup at the cutting-edge intersection of big data services and autonomous hardware. You will be an integral part of a high-performing multi-disciplinary delivering high impact for humanity and future generations.

You can read the latest about us:

  • Saildrone Surveyor Launch (Jan 2021)
  • Washington Post: Four autonomous vessels sailed the Arctic to more precisely map its seafloor(Oct 2020)
  • USNI: Coast Guard Begins At-Sea Testing of Unmanned Surface Vehicles to Tackle Illegal Fishing, Crime (Oct 2020)
  • Forbes: Five Ways Saildrone’s ‘Satellites Of The Seas’ Could Transform Mauritius Oil Spill Response (Sept 2020)
  • Maritime Executive: Due to COVID-19, NOAA Uses Drones Instead of Ships for Fishery Survey (June 2020)
  • Or watch some of our videos: Bloomberg: The Robots Roaming the High Seas

Saildrone is an equal opportunity workplace dedicated to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce.

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.