Senior Service Engineer

Overview

Saildrone is a defense company delivering maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance products to military, homeland security, and commercial customers. Saildrone unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) are extreme-endurance platforms equipped with advanced sensors and proprietary AI to provide persistent insights above and below the sea surface. Insights support border security, law enforcement, undersea infrastructure protection, hydrography, and naval power applications. Saildrone has sailed more than 2,000,000 nautical miles and spent 50,000 days ldrone USVs are trusted by governments across the planet and set the standard for cost-efficient maritime intelligence in harsh environments.

We are based in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington DC and St. Petersburg, FL, and operate missions worldwide. This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting edge of big data services, autonomy, and AI. You will be part of a high-performing, multidisciplinary team delivering data, intelligence, and firepower for strategic superiority.

The Role

Saildrone s autonomous surface vehicles operate for unprecedented periods in unforgiving environments. Assembling these vehicles for missions and maintaining the fleet for the mission duration requires a high degree of skill and consistency. As a Service Engineer, you will develop processes and reference documentation required for successful and consistent troubleshooting and maintenance.

You will collaborate with teams in engineering, operations, and production to develop reference equipment, processes, maintenance, and service documentation that meets industry standards.

You will need to develop and execute assembly and service plans to sustain and improve Saildrone s systems  will become an invaluable member of the team, meet our deadlines, and execute at a higher level of excellence with each iteration.

• Develop Drone Operation and Maintenance Manuals by condensing information from OEMs, collaborating with internal SMEs, and applying good industry practice.
• Collect product information from data sheets, specifications, operating procedures, maintenance schedules, spare parts lists, and safety guidelines related to the drones.
• Develop and maintain clear, concise documentation for troubleshooting, maintenance, and process improvements.
• Verify the accuracy of diagrams, schematics, and BOMs.
• Support the change management process after handover from R&D. Develop bill of materials, tools, consumables, and spares lists. Ensure documentation is developed and updated. Review, communicate, track and document field rollout.
• Support the introduction of new products by collaborating with engineering teams, developing training materials, and ensuring a smooth handover to field service teams
• Drive quality and safety improvements through design, planning and procedures.
• Represent field service in engineering change conversations.
• Develop and implement new work processes and procedures.
• Improve the process flow and field organization using Lean best practices.
• Provide training and troubleshooting support to level up the skills of field service technicians, ensuring they are equipped to handle increasingly complex systems.
• Travel to field sites and engage with field technicians to observe, audit, and refine workflows in real time, ensuring technicians have the tools and processes necessary for success.
• Willing and able to travel domestically and internationally as well as work extended/weekend hours when necessary.

A top performer in this role will be highly motivated by and skilled in the following areas:

• Practical experience and technical expertise with electromechanical systems.
• Capable of producing high-quality documentation that is accurate, comprehensive, and user-friendly.
• Ability to organize and condense information to create navigable and referenceable documentation.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, especially in identifying inefficiencies and implementing practical solutions in real-world settings.
• Represent the field service team with engineering from R&D through sustained engineering.
• Passion for safety and continuous improvement to empower field service teams with better processes and tools.
• Hands-on experience in process improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, etc.) and their practical application in a field environment.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with engineers, technicians, and management to ensure optimal workflows, create accurate BOMs, and provide input on designs for reliability, safety, and cost improvements.
• Work with Fleet Service Managers to define service complexity and diagnostic work in support of a training and skills matrix.
• Flexibility to travel to field sites as required to support operations, implement process changes, and provide technical assistance.
• Instinct for improving…