At Saildrone, we sustainably explore, map, and monitor the oceans to understand, protect, and preserve our world. We provide real-time access to critical data from any ocean on earth, 24/7/365, and use proprietary software applications to transform that data into actionable insights and intelligence.
Our fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), powered by renewable wind and solar power, have a minimal carbon footprint, and operate without the need for a crewed support vessel. Saildrone works with governments, civil agencies, foundations, universities, and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas—from sailing into the eye of a category 4 hurricane to obtain new data about how storms intensify, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, and counting fish biomass to inform sustainable fishery management, to mapping the ocean floor and reducing illegal fishing and drug trafficking.
This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team 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.
The Role
Saildrone carry a variety of sensors on board to support surround perception for near real time situational awareness and piloting, bathymetric surveys, and ocean science data collection. As our Staff Systems Engineer for sensing systems, you will be responsible for the overall technical system design and evaluation of our sensing systems across these domains, from concept, hardware specification and integration, software and algorithm development and data display and user interactions. You will work closely with our development teams on design and validation of these systems, with our integration testing teams on documentation and characterization of the systems, and with our product and leadership teams on requirements and documentation of the capabilities of these systems. Serving as the all up technical lead on these systems, you will align the system design with subject matter experts in perception algorithms, passive acoustics, active acoustic sonars, machine vision, radar signals, radio transmissions, detailed oceanographic measurements and navigation. The system includes both on-board and off-board processing as well as presentation and transmission of near real-time data to consumers through APIs and Frontends.
Ocean-going drones present a unique challenge for high-performance sensing systems: our fleet is solar and wind powered, and can be deployed for up to one year without returning to port. These challenges make efficient algorithms and precise system design a must and require thoughtful over-the-air deployment strategies, data prioritization for transmission while at sea and careful decision making of what processing should be done on-board or in the cloud. We’re looking for an experienced systems engineer to contribute to drive the overall design and work with our teams to take on these unique challenges.
Responsibilities
- Apply advanced technical knowledge, scientific principles and concepts to design, measure, and assess the performance of sensing systems from integration on board to data interactions in the cloud.
- Owns the single source of truth system-level diagrams and specifications for end-to-end sensing systems, from sensors to UI display.
- Perform and present functional analysis of system capabilities.
- Design and execute trade studies for new sensor capabilities.
- Create interface definitions and translate product requirements into hardware designs, software designs, user interfaces and system specifications.
- Work cross-functionally with user interfaces, hardware and software teams as necessary to perform proof-of-concept testing and prototyping to validate designs.
- Work with leadership, product managers, hardware teams and software teams to develop and drive roadmaps for the next generation of sensing hardware and software.
- Lead the specification of system level testing and work with quality teams, operations teams and validation teams to ensure systems are properly validated.
- Design and participate in tests and analysis methods that give the team insight into sensing system performance.
- Document, present and align system level designs with internal engineering teams to confirm design fit for purpose.
- Work with the product team to develop user stories and requirements for our customers, and generate engineering requirements from those stories and requirements.
- Contribute directly to the development of software and algorithms used in real time operating systems.
- Work with design and UI engineers to ensure designs enable near real time display of useful sensor information to users for near real time perception around the vessels as well as intelligent navigation.
- Represent the organization and interface with internal and external customers alongside our product managers, program and senior leadership, and multidisciplinary engineering teams on significant technical matters.
Required Skills and Experience
- 10+ years professional experience in a relevant domain
- 3+ years professional experience in systems engineering
- B.S., M.S. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field or equivalent professional experience.
- Professional experience with multiple sensors including cameras, radars, acoustic hydrophones, active underwater sonars, lidars, oceanographic science measurement systems.
- Professional experience with real time operating systems and their processing constraints under tight power constraints.
- Professional experience with data and algorithm pipelines through distributed systems.
- Professional experience with cloud-based systems and user interactions with complex sensor data and insights derived from it.
- Deep technical knowledge of sensor mechanics, calibration, limitations, and methods of analyzing sensor capabilities.
- Demonstrated expertise in engineering design and development from concept to product, software and hardware development processes and systems and software modeling.
- Proficient in C++ and Python.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills for complex technical concepts.
Desired Skills and Experience
- Experience with underwater acoustic detection and tracking algorithms
- Experience working with large government agencies as consumers of data
- Experience with technical mentoring
Physical Requirements
Work is performed on a computer and requires ability to operate a keyboard and other peripheral devices.
Location:
This position is in Alameda, CA. 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.
- Short and relaxing ferry ride from the Ferry Building for SF residents
- Enhanced Parental Leave Programs
- Competitive benefits including excellent medical, life insurance, 401k plan
A reasonable estimate of the current range is $190,000-$220,000 annually.
