During missions, data and vehicle telemetry is streamed in real time to Saildrone Mission Control. Mission Managers monitor the health of the Saildrone fleet and will develop a deep understanding of the vehicles’ payload sensors, including their capabilities and calibrations, as well as the vehicles’ performance in the challenging ocean environment.
The Mission Management team is positioned at a crucial crossroads in the organization and is constantly collaborating with various internal teams as well as with Saildrone customers. Candidates for the Mission Management team can expect their day-to-day work to directly deliver the company’s primary mission of autonomously collecting and returning oceanographic data from remote corners of the world.
Responsibilities
- Customer Management & Interactions
- Participate in collaborative meetings with customers alongside the Mission Control Manager before, during, and after missions.
- Provide and execute vehicle routing suggestions to optimize mission outcomes.
- Communicate clearly and professionally on the Saildrone customer-facing Mission Portal.
- Be able to effectively field a variety of mission-related inquiries from customers.
- Efficiently refer technical questions to Saildrone internal subject-matter-experts.
- Vehicle Management
- Daily monitoring of vehicle and payload health:
- Passage planning routes that are safe, efficient, and meet the mission requirements.
- Mission Managers must be able to remotely pilot our fleet of Saildrones around the globe, ensuring mission execution & safety.
- Daily monitoring of environmental conditions for areas of vehicle operation.
- Authorities Liaison and Administrative
- Assist Mission Control Manager with USCG & Vessel Traffic communications.
- Submit special notices for inclusion in Local Notices to Mariners for relevant missions.
- Monitor and report on Reserves and Sanctuaries requiring special access permissions.
- Actively contribute to the refinement and documentation of processes integral to Mission Control Operations.
Required Skills and Abilities
- Deep understanding of maritime operations, including navigation, COLREGS and safety procedures.
- Deep intuitive understanding of how sailing vessels perform at sea.
- Candidate must possess excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Ability to work periodically irregular hours, rotating weekends, and shift work.
- Candidate is detail-oriented with a disciplined approach to communications, processes, and projects.
- Experienced problem solver unafraid of learning new skills and technologies.
- Able to interact fluidly with multiple audiences, including governmental agency leadership, senior executives, Engineers, and Operations personnel.
- Interest and passion for new technology applications for Maritime Awareness and Homeland Security.
- Proficiency with technology (GSuite, Slack, etc.) a plus.
Desired Experience
- Significant experience on deep sea vessels as officer in charge of a navigational watch.
- Offshore sailing experience.
- Experience within Command and Control Center environments.
- Experience leading a team in a maritime environment.
- Demonstrated record of success translating and prioritizing mission needs into actionable outcomes.
- Active or prior Security Clearance is a plus.
- Experience investigating and analyzing marine weather reports.
- Bachelor’s Degree a plus; or equivalent work experience.
