The Role
We’re seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Robotics Software Engineer to join our core vehicle systems team. In this role, you’ll lead efforts to integrate and support new sensors and hardware subsystems for our autonomous marine vehicles. Your expertise in C++, along with a solid foundation in robotics and real-world hardware integration, will be key to evolving our capabilities in data acquisition, navigation, and autonomy. You will be responsible for developing and maintaining critical onboard software components, including telemetry systems (data libraries and satellite communications), actuator control, and power system interfaces. A significant focus of this role is expanding our vehicle’s ability to support emerging capabilities, including bringing up new devices, managing sensor data streams, and coordinating across hardware and firmware teams.
As a senior engineer, you’ll guide the technical direction of our codebase, architect robust interfaces for new hardware, and mentor junior engineers. You’ll play a crucial role in ensuring our software remains high-quality, efficient, and reliable in extreme, long-duration deployments. Saildrones operate in some of the world’s harshest maritime environments for up to a year at sea. This demands a rigorous approach to hardware-in-the-loop testing, thoughtful design for constrained compute environments, and software that can adapt to the evolving capabilities of our hardware.
Required skills and experience
- 6+ years of professional software development experience, with expert-level proficiency in C++
- Proven track record integrating sensors and hardware in robotics or autonomous systems
- Strong system architecture and algorithm design skills for resource-constrained environments
- Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams across hardware, firmware, and testing
- Demonstrated leadership and mentorship abilities with excellent communication skills
Desired skills and experience
- Experience with oceanographic, navigation, or environmental sensors, including calibration and validation
- Proficiency in Python for scripting, tooling, and data analysis
- Familiarity with simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing environments
- Knowledge of communication protocols (TCP/IP, CAN, J1939, NMEA-2000) and interfacing with embedded firmware
- Experience with protobuf and interfacing with cloud systems
Location: This is a hybrid position reporting to our Alameda, CA 3 days per week. Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda.
Salary range: $132,500–$172,200 annually.
