Boat Captain

Ulysses Inc. • San Francisco, CA

31d • $110,000 - $150,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Ulysses is hiring a Boat Captain to run vessels supporting marine robot tests and customer missions. The Captain is responsible for the vessel, the people aboard, and decisions that keep operations safe. Working with operations and engineering, the Captain plans trips, deploys and recovers robots, and keeps boats ready for future outings. The position is based on-site in San Francisco, with work in the Bay and travel for deployments. Between trips, the Captain performs inspections, maintenance, equipment preparation, and repairs.

Requirements

• Professional experience taking responsibility for small vessels and crew, with credentials appropriate to the vessels and waters operated.
• Confident boat handling in confined water, alongside other vessels, and during close-position work, with sound judgment about wind, current, and sea state.
• Working knowledge of navigation, collision avoidance, marine radio communications, and emergency procedures.
• Experience planning work on the water and making clear decisions when weather, equipment, or crew readiness changes.
• Practical ability to inspect and maintain boats, identify mechanical or electrical faults, and determine when a specialist is needed.
• Clear communication with people with different levels of boating experience, including the ability to explain concerns calmly and stop an operation when needed.
• Comfort working hands-on with unfamiliar equipment and following a test procedure while retaining responsibility for vessel safety.
• Availability to work on-site in San Francisco, support early starts around weather and tides, and travel for deployments.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting subsea robots, survey equipment, scientific work, or other technical operations from small vessels.
• Familiarity with San Francisco Bay, local launch facilities, and coastal operations.
• Experience with cranes, winches, towing, rigging, or trailerable workboats.
• First aid, offshore safety, or other relevant marine training, and experience helping a small team improve its operating procedures.

Responsibilities

• Plan trips with the mission team, agreeing on the operating area, weather limits, crew, equipment, communications, recovery plan, and conditions for stopping work.
• Command the vessel during tests and deployments, keeping a lookout, managing traffic, and maintaining safe separation from robots, lines, swimmers, and other vessels.
• Brief everyone aboard on deck procedures, emergency actions, and their roles; raise concerns when a test plan does not fit the boat or conditions.
• Coordinate robot launch and recovery with the deck team, including lifting equipment, towlines, and launch hardware, while aligning vessel handling with deck work.
• Keep boats operational through routine checks, servicing, defect tracking, and practical repairs; arrange specialist maintenance when needed.
• Prepare and check safety equipment, fuel, spares, tools, and deployment kits; support loading, transport, mobilization, and cleanup after trips.
• Maintain clear vessel and trip records, report incidents and near misses, and provide engineers with feedback about equipment that is awkward, unreliable, or unsafe at sea.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: No Education Listed