The ocean has the potential to provide the solutions to so many of the social, economic and environmental challenges we face worldwide. To truly harness the value of the ocean, we put ocean research, science and discovery at the heart of our culture. Join us in shaping the future of oceanographic research and contribute your unique perspective to our organization.
About the role
The Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) group operates and maintains an extensive fleet of autonomous and robotic maritime platforms, including the UK’s National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP) – the largest centralised marine scientific equipment pool in Europe.
A fantastic opportunity has arisen to join the MARS group as ALR Operations Engineer. You will join a close-knit, dedicated and enthusiastic multidisciplinary team operating our Autosub Long Range (ALR) Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) worldwide. The ALR Operations team is focussed on delivery of operations utilising MARS’ in-house developed AUV, Autosub Long Range (ALR), developed for ocean survey & scientific missions. The ALR Operations Engineer will provide engineering and operation support as part of the ALR team and will also work closely with the Glider and AutoSub5 operations teams within MARS.
The ALRs have seen significant recent success:
- Operating under ice sheets and sea ice in Antarctica;
- Deploying on research expeditions off the NOC-operated Research Vessels RRS Discovery & RRS James Cook, incorporating diverse and leading sensor packages.
- Completing a 2500km over-the-horizon deployment from Iceland to the UK (a world’s first for this type of vehicle).
- Completing pioneering surveys of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and decommissioned oil industry sites, launching and recovering from shore >100km from the sites of interest.
The role offers an exciting opportunity to operate and advance a key capability at the forefront of marine science. You will contribute to the collection of high‑quality ocean data that underpins the work of the NOC and the wider UK oceanographic community in achieving world‑class marine science. The work you complete – as part of a skilled and dedicated team—will make a significant and lasting contribution to ocean science.
The role will involve:
- Providing support for operations involving the MARS long-range fleet – vehicle preparation, maintenance, calibration, mobilisation, and operational deployments from shore-bases or research vessels.
- Carrying out vehicle maintenance & development, integrating new sensors, troubleshooting problems and improving performance.
- Working with the team to further develop/improve ALR operations and procedures.
- Piloting the MARS long-range fleet as part of the team’s rota. This includes weekend and out-of-hours duties.
- Work with commissioning scientists to help design ALR operations to best address their science questions.
- Work with the MARS development team to assist with the future development of the ALR and other vehicles as required.
About you
The ideal candidate will:
- Be qualified to HNC/HND or higher in a directly relevant engineering discipline, degree level or higher in a related discipline, or have relevant experience in autonomous vehicles.
- Have a broad engineering knowledge with a basic understanding of physics, mechanical engineering, electronics, electrical systems, and software development.
- Have an ability to understand technical challenges, and a strong track record of providing well-considered technical solutions to engineering problems.
- Have experience working in a marine engineering area (preferably in Marine Autonomous Systems) or a closely related discipline.
- Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and excellent attention to detail, and be able to demonstrate these through documentation produced and presentations given.
- Work effectively in multidisciplinary teams, with strong interpersonal skills, a proactive mindset, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
- Plan and manage your work independently given broad direction, contributing effectively to the team both ashore and at sea.
- Be self-motivated, flexible and innovative, with the ability to resolve issues under challenging situations at sea and deliver high-quality, reliable work at base.
- A working knowledge of AUVs or gliders would be highly desirable.
- Experience working in engineering design and development, as well as conducting trials or operations of complex electromechanical systems would be desirable.
You should be interested and willing to broaden and enhance your skills as required to meet the requirements of the team. There will also be opportunities to work with the MARS development teams to enhance the capabilities of the ALR and marine robotic systems more broadly.
As part of this role, you will be required to undertake fieldwork and occasionally work at sea.
Location: Southampton, UK
Application deadline: August 19, 2026
