Director of Maritime Operations (Unmanned Surface Vessels)
About The Position
Fathom Robotics provides operations, maintenance, training, and applied engineering services for uncrewed maritime systems supporting U.S. Government and commercial defense programs. We have multiple active projects across a variety of government and commercial clients and are actively fielding systems in operational environments. Fathom Robotics is hiring a Director of Maritime Operations to stand up and lead a team that operates and maintains small and medium unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for customers worldwide. The team will be based near Eglin AFB, deployable worldwide, and expected to grow to 12 or more people supporting a multimillion dollar fleet. You will set the standards, hire and qualify the people, and manage several programs at once, with operators in the field and vessels in the shop. This leadership role suits someone who knows how to build teams and run operations, and who will learn the systems well enough to lead the people who work on them. Customer programs fund the role and the team. You have authority to hire, set pay within approved ranges, and approve deployments. You own whether the fleet is ready and the team is prepared when the customer needs them.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
- Has stood up or led an operations team or capability, including hiring, standards, and growth
- 10+ years leading teams in maritime, military, or defense operations
- Maritime planning experience: mission planning, waterway or range coordination, COLREGS, and safety
- Experience planning and leading OCONUS deployments or operations in austere conditions
- Experience writing SOPs and training or qualification standards
- Credible with government customers and comfortable running the relationship in the field
- Learns technical systems quickly and earns the respect of operators and technicians
- U.S. citizenship required for clearance eligibility
- Active SECRET clearance or eligibility to obtain one, and eligibility for TS/SCI; employment is contingent on obtaining and maintaining the clearance
- Able to travel about 35% of the time, including overseas; valid U.S. passport or ability to obtain one
Nice To Haves
- Naval, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or Special Operations service, including J3 or S3 staff roles, or equivalent civilian maritime or expeditionary leadership
- Hands-on experience operating or maintaining small craft or unmanned surface vessels
- Experience with DoD USV platforms, plus ROV or UUV exposure
- Prior fleet or program manager role for unmanned systems
- USCG license, STCW, or small boat operator certifications
- Familiarity with Navy 3M or similar maintenance management systems
- Experience supporting range, test, or expeditionary operations
Responsibilities
- Build and lead the operations and maintenance team: hire, train, and mentor operators and technicians
- Write and maintain SOPs, maintenance programs, and personnel qualification standards, qualify operators against them, and update each with lessons learned
- Plan and lead global deployments of unmanned maritime systems, from mission planning and staffing through clearances, base access, training, and travel
- Lead operators and technicians in the field and set crew rotation for each deployment
- Oversee operation and maintenance of small and medium USVs and payloads, keep vessels, spares, and support equipment ready across sites, and track readiness and uptime
- Serve as daily point of contact for customers, range operators, OEMs, and deployment schedulers, with recurring status reports
- Manage program schedules, staffing, cost, travel days, and utilization across concurrent programs
- Support proposals with staffing plans, labor mix, and travel estimates
- Ensure safety, security, and export control compliance on every deployment
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
