Lead Hydrographic Surveyor

Ulysses Inc. • San Francisco, CA

3d • $150,000 - $190,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Ulysses is building an in-house capacity to execute offshore survey and inspection campaigns safely and to specification in the US and abroad. We are seeking a Lead Hydrographic Surveyor to own this function at Ulysses. As the first dedicated surveyor on the team, you will be responsible for planning, acquiring, processing, and delivering hydrographic data. You will be hands-on from day one, designing survey plans, running acquisition on the water, processing data, and providing deliverables that meet and exceed client expectations. You will collaborate with engineering, technical operations, and commercial teams to guide the development and field testing of new system capabilities that anticipate customer needs. As the commercial survey business grows, you will have the opportunity to build the survey team and define the future of autonomous hydrography.

Requirements

• Significant commercial experience running hydrographic surveys with AUVs in sectors such as offshore energy, cable and pipeline routes, ports and harbors, or charting.
• In-depth knowledge of multibeam systems, including patch tests, sound velocity management, uncertainty budgets, and achieving IHO S-44 special order standards with small AUVs.
• Fluency in at least one major processing suite (e.g., Qimera, CARIS HIPS & SIPS, OIC Cleansweep) with the ability to independently take raw data to a finished deliverable.
• Proficiency in positioning and geodesy, including GNSS, INS, USBL, datums, and projections, with the ability to troubleshoot navigation issues.
• Ability to interpret side scan records and identify key features such as contacts, scour, burial, infrastructure condition, and differentiate targets from refractions.
• Proven experience producing client-approved deliverables, including processed surfaces, charts, and survey reports.
• Comfort working in field environments, including small boats and early mobilizations, and maintaining high standards under challenging conditions.
• Resourceful and self-directed approach to problem-solving, particularly with new sensors or workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to take full ownership of data quality, identifying and rectifying issues proactively.
• Ability to work at a fast pace while maintaining high standards for accuracy.
• Willingness to be hands-on and actively involved in operations rather than desk-bound work.
• Strong understanding of operational logistics, including mobilization and demobilization, equipment shipment, operations on vessels of opportunity, and planning/executing these activities.

Nice To Haves

• FIG/IHO/ICA Cat A or Cat B certification, or equivalent.
• Experience conducting surveys with USVs, including knowledge of subsurface positioning and unmanned acquisition.
• Party chief or survey lead experience, including client representative interaction.
• Experience with geophysics, such as sub-bottom profilers or magnetometers, for burial depth and route survey work.
• Scripting skills, particularly Python, for data pipelines, QC automation, or processing at scale.
• Exposure to Mine Countermeasures (MCM) or other defense survey work.
• Experience in writing winning bids or scoping survey contracts.

Responsibilities

• Design surveys end to end, including line plans, sensor settings, geodesy, and tide and sound velocity strategy, to fulfill customer requirements.
• Mobilize and run surveys, from field trials to offshore client work, including patch tests and calibrations, with on-the-fly quality control to ensure data integrity.
• Own the post-processing pipeline using tools like Qimera, CARIS HIPS & SIPS, or OIC Cleansweep, performing QC to IHO S-44 standards and producing charts, digital data products, and reports.
• Interface with clients and assist in scoping commercial survey work by translating client specifications into survey plans and contributing to the technical sections of bids.
• Provide product feedback to the platform team, focusing on sensor integration, timing, autonomy behaviors, and data workflows to continuously improve Mako survey capabilities.
• Build the survey team and define standards for autonomous hydrography as the commercial survey business expands.

What This Job Offers

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