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Saildrone

Robot type
Marine and Space
Location
AlamedaCaliforniaUSA
Job type
Artificial Intelligence
Posted
Sep 18, 2026
Salary
$300,000–$380,000 a year
Full-time

Principal Software Engineer, Perception

Job description

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will own the hardest perception problems, make architectural decisions, and connect sensing, estimation, machine learning, and production software into a coherent system deployed on real vehicles.

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…

Job responsibilities

  • Define the architecture and technical direction for Saildrone's perception systems.
  • Lead the hardest problems in sensor fusion, probabilistic estimation, localization, tracking, mapping, and uncertainty estimation.
  • Determine how heterogeneous sensors and perception algorithms combine to produce reliable information for downstream autonomy.
  • Translate research and algorithms into robust production capabilities within real-world constraints on sensors, compute, latency, and environmental conditions.
  • Provide technical direction to senior and staff engineers through architecture, technical review, and problem solving.

Job requirements

  • Exceptional depth in perception and robotics, with a track record of deploying perception systems on autonomous vehicles, robots, aerospace, defense, or similarly complex physical systems.
  • Deep expertise in sensor fusion, probabilistic estimation, and uncertainty modeling.
  • Strong mathematical and algorithmic foundations, with depth in multiple areas such as computer vision, localization, state estimation, tracking, mapping, or machine learning.
  • A track record of taking sophisticated algorithms or research from experimentation into reliable production systems.
  • Experience setting technical direction and architecture for complex autonomous systems.
  • Exceptional technical judgment demonstrated through consequential technical decisions and problem solving.
Apply on Saildrone websiteSave

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