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Saildrone

Robot type
Marine and Space
Location
AlamedaCaliforniaUSA
Job type
Artificial Intelligence
Posted
Jun 1, 2026
Salary
$215,000–$270,000 a year
Full-time

Staff Software Engineer, Machine Learning

Job description

This role is required to be onsite in Alameda, CA in the Bay Area 3 days per week - this is our hybrid model. This is not a remote position.

The Machine Learning team is responsible for developing and deploying models that power perception, autonomy, and intelligence across Saildrone’s autonomous surface vehicles. We focus on building scalable, high-performance ML systems that transform multimodal sensor data into actionable insights, enabling persistent maritime awareness in national security and defense environments.

Saildrone is a maritime defense company and the global leader in autonomous unmanned surface vehicles (USVs).

Saildrone’s manufacturing and R&D headquarters are located in…

Job responsibilities

  • Production & Mission Impact: Design and deploy production-grade ML models for real-time perception to detect, classify, and track high-value targets.
  • Edge Architecture & Autonomy: Own the full ML lifecycle architecture, ensuring models run reliably on NVIDIA Jetson/AGX platforms.
  • Multi-Modal Sensor Fusion: Lead the integration of Saildrone’s unique sensor suite—including cameras, radar, lidar, hydrophones, and bathymetric sensors—to maintain situational awareness in complex,…
  • Dataset & Robustness Engineering: Drive the rapid expansion of proprietary maritime datasets and develop rigorous evaluation frameworks to ensure model performance remains stable across variable sea states and extreme…
  • Strategic ML Ops: Architect and scale cloud-based training pipelines and CI/CD workflows. You will resolve technical ambiguity to ensure the "full stack" from data ingestion to edge deployment is performant and…
  • System-Wide Optimization: Lead technical decisions for onboard compute efficiency using runtime libraries like TensorRT, ensuring that rapid model iterations enhance rather than disrupt the overall software stack…
  • Technical Leadership & Vision: Direct large-scale ML projects from concept to completion. Mentor junior and senior engineers while shaping the technical roadmap for the global ML organization.
  • Cross-Functional Integration: Serve as a technical leader across multiple engineering organizations —from Perception to Frontend—to ensure ML-driven insights are actionable for mission pilots and critical to disrupting…

Job requirements

  • BS or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field, as required for the design of complex autonomous systems.
  • 10+ years of experience in Machine Learning or Software Engineering, performing work related to the full ML lifecycle, from cloud-based training to edge deployment.
  • Serve as a technical authority for edge AI systems operating in mission-critical environments.
  • Track record of leading cross-functional technical initiatives in autonomy, robotics, defense, or large-scale distributed systems
  • Demonstrated proficiency in Python, ML frameworks (PyTorch/TensorFlow), and runtime libraries (TensorRT) required to deploy performant computer vision and sensor fusion models.
  • Experience making system-level architecture and modeling decisions under high ambiguity, balancing performance, reliability, and compute constraints in real-world deployed ML systems
  • Track record of communicating technical vision, project roadmaps, and model performance metrics to peers, senior leadership, and cross-functional partners.
  • Ability to work effectively in remote or hybrid environments, including supporting a fleet that operates 24/7/365 in harsh and hostile maritime conditions.
Apply on Saildrone websiteSave

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