Director of Robotics Software

THE COMPANY

Saildrone is a maritime defense company and the global leader in autonomous unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator, Saildrone maintains active, combat‑deployed systems supporting national security and force projection around the world, 24/7/365.

Saildrone’s manufacturing and R&D headquarters are located in Alameda, CA, with business development and sales operations in Washington, DC, and deployment hubs in Europe and the Middle East. By combining proven autonomous operations, edge computing, advanced sensing, renewable power, and the most advanced and robust unmanned surface technology on the planet, Saildrone is shaping how the Navy of the future operates.

Join a fast‑moving, mission‑driven team at the forefront of maritime security and autonomous innovation.

Saildrone is seeking a Director of Robotics Software to join our Engineering team. Reporting directly to the VP of Software, you will play a critical role in defining the long‑term vision for our robotics efforts and ensuring the delivery of mission‑critical software stacks for our autonomous fleet. We are looking for a technical expert and leader who has a proven track record of managing managers to drive execution in a fast‑paced environment.

This role is essential for advancing our autonomous surface vehicle technology, focusing on the development and integration of robotic systems that enable our platforms to perceive, plan, and act in complex maritime environments.

The Robotics Software group develops the core and application layers that enable Saildrone’s autonomous fleet to provide global maritime domain awareness. As a leader of leaders, you will oversee a multidisciplinary organization encompassing Core Robotics, Navigation/Autonomy, Perception, Machine Learning and Build/Release. Our mission is to engineer reliable, high‑performance software stacks and optimize the integration of autonomy algorithms with our specialized hardware and compute resources.

• Establish a culture of accountability, ownership, collaboration, and engineering excellence across the robotics organization.
• Build and mentor a strong leadership bench, specifically managing managers and senior technical leaders within core robotics software, navigation/autonomy, perception, ML, and build/release.
• Recruit, retain, and develop world‑class talent in a highly competitive market to continuously improve team effectiveness.
• Instill best development, testing, and release practices for onboard software systems.
• Oversee the architectural design and implementation of on‑vehicle systems, including application software, autonomy behaviors, sensor pipelines, and machine learning.
• Collaborate on the roadmap for hardware and software development with executive and product stakeholders, identifying key technological challenges
• Work closely with cross‑functional teams to align on priorities and ensure a safe, reliable, and optimized architecture across the autonomous platform.
• Manage budgets and resources effectively to meet project goals, including making strategic decisions on build‑versus‑buy and external partnerships.
• Perform all responsibilities in accordance with company values, safety expectations, quality standards, and ethical guidelines.

• BS or MS degree in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in robotics or autonomous systems, with a significant portion (8+ years) spent in a technical leadership role managing large, multidisciplinary teams. and 2+ years of experience managing managers.
• Demonstrated experience in autonomous vehicles, aerospace, or a related field with complex embedded applications and mission‑critical systems.
• Proven ability to bring complex robotic products from research to production‑ready deployments.
• Deep expertise in one or more core areas:
  Navigation/Autonomy, Perception, ML, or Sensor Fusion (radar, cameras)/Localization.
• Technical proficiency in C++, with a strong understanding of robotics operating systems (e.g., ROS).
• Strong program and project management…