Senior Engineering Manager, Technical Field Operations

Saildrone • Alameda, CA

19d

About The Position

Saildrone is seeking a Senior Engineering Manager, Technical Field Operations to join our Fleet Management team within the Operations group. Reporting directly to the Vice President (VP) of Fleet Operations, you will play a critical role in acting as the senior organizational architect of reliability and the lead for our front-line technical defense of Saildrone’s autonomous fleet. We are looking for a technical leader who creates clarity from ambiguity, thrives during high-priority incidents, and has a proven track record of transforming "messy" real-world telemetry into hardened, scalable engineering solutions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems) or a related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in engineering leadership or lead roles, with a proven track record of managing teams supporting complex hardware, robotics, or autonomous systems.
• Demonstrated proficiency in embedded systems and network architecture, including deep familiarity with protocols (TCP/IP, CAN bus, RS-485, RS-232, SPI, I2C) and system-level debugging.
• Proven ability to interpret schematics and identify failure points using industry-standard CAD/EDA tools (e.g., NX, Solidworks, Altium, or KiCad).
• Strong experience with Linux systems and the ability to write Bash or Python scripts to automate repetitive diagnostics and system interrogation.
• Ability to clearly communicate complex technical failures into clear narratives for cross-functional partners and executive leadership.
• Ability to work effectively in marine and field environments, including up to 50% travel, working at heights, and the ability to safely lift or carry up to 50 lbs.
• Working knowledge of autonomous system payloads and the ability to make critical, high-impact decisions under pressure in a 24/7 environment.

Responsibilities

• Perform technical watchfloor leadership and fleet overwatch to achieve 24/7 mission success, managing on-call rotations and ensuring high-stakes incident response across global deployments.
• Be accountable for fleet reliability and uptime metrics (SLIs, SLOs, and Error Budgets), moving past superficial symptoms to identify and resolve systemic failures in embedded systems and networking.
• Work closely with Product Engineering and Mission Management to align on priorities, advocating for the balance between technical debt and new features to ensure successful delivery of shared goals.
• Carry out advanced Root Cause Analysis (RCA) using Linux command-line tools and scripting (Python/Bash) to automate diagnostics and parse large datasets for trend analysis.
• Monitor for system failures and performance degradation, developing "playbooks" and automated tools to reduce system variation and accelerate response times.
• Manage Fleet of Engineering Development Drones, processing R&D requests testing and validating both hardware and software changes.
• Adhere to engineering standards and operational protocols, while driving the evolution of fleet operations through long-term hardware fixes and software optimizations.
• Provide timely updates on fleet health, incidents, and data-backed narratives to the COO and executive leadership to support rapid strategic decision-making.
• Establish a culture of accountability, ownership, and engineering excellence, building and scaling a world-class team capable of operating defense-grade autonomous systems at scale.
• Meet commitments to build a high-performing team by recruiting and mentoring talent, fostering a culture of rapid iteration, technical reliability, and operational readiness.

Benefits

• Generous Time Off: Competitive Paid Time Off (PTO) accrual plus a robust annual holiday schedule and paid sick leave ensure you can rest, reset, and sustain performance over time.
• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Premium, multi-tier Medical, Dental, and Vision plans with significant company contributions for employees and dependents—providing security and peace of mind.
• Shared Ownership in the Mission: Equity grants are a core part of our compensation, allowing you to participate in the long-term value you help create through meaningful, operational work.
• Retirement Savings: Access to a 401(k) retirement plan with flexible pre-tax and Roth payroll contribution options supports long-term financial planning.
• Investment in Your Growth: We support your continuous learning through an annual professional development reimbursement program, empowering you to sharpen your skills and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving field.
• Relocation Support: For eligible roles, we offer relocation assistance to help bring the world’s best talent to our mission-critical locations.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level