Senior Vehicle TPM

About Us

At Saildrone, we sustainably explore, map, and monitor the oceans to understand, protect, and preserve our world. We provide real-time access to critical data from any ocean on earth, 24/7/365, and use proprietary software applications to transform that data into actionable insights and intelligence. Our fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), powered by renewable wind and solar power, have a minimal carbon footprint and operate without the need for a crewed support vessel. Saildrone works with governments, civil agencies, foundations, universities, and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas—from sailing into the eye of a category 4 hurricane to obtain new data about how storms intensify, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, and counting fish biomass to inform sustainable fishery management, to mapping the ocean floor and reducing illegal fishing and drug trafficking. As a result of our work, Saildrone has been included on Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, earned an Ocean Awards’ Innovation Award, won Best Tech For Good from the Timmy Awards, and was recognized by Andreessen Horowitz’s American Dynamism 50 list of the Top 50 Companies Kickstarting American Renewal. Our first-annual Atlantic hurricane mission with NOAA was included as one of The New York Times’ 21 Things That Happened for the First Time in 2021 and Popular Science's 100 Greatest Innovations of 2021.

We are based in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington DC and St. Petersburg, FL, and operate our missions worldwide. Saildrone is backed by top-tier investors in the frontier tech and sustainability sectors, including Social Capital, Capricorn, Lux Capital, BOND Capital, and Emerson Collective.

This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting-edge intersection of big data services and autonomous hardware. You will be an integral part of a high-performing multi-disciplinary delivering high impact for humanity and future generations.

The Role

We are seeking a hands-on individual to take on the exciting role of Vehicle Technical Program Manager for one of USVs! You’ll work with teams across our matrixed organization to facilitate both short-term tactical work and longer-term strategic initiatives.

In this role you may be working on project management (e.g. agile-based scheduling and reporting), communicating updates to internal stakeholders, prioritizing work, and identifying and mitigating risks to projects (e.g. coordinating and defining test plans, maintaining a backlog). We will rely on you to keep schedules up to date and accurate across multiple programs and projects, and to hold our teams accountable to producing cutting-edge technology on time. You have strong execution abilities and will drive cross-functional teams towards shared outcomes through coordination, communication, and collaboration.

You will get leadership visibility and have a direct impact on the technology we use to sail around the world, collecting first-in-class data. You will be a part of a team of talented individuals who are just as passionate about supporting one another as they are about our planetary mission. We celebrate honesty and a sense of humor and generally having fun! These are part of our TPM team values!

What You'll Do

• Ownership of Technical Program Management for one of drone vehicles through R&D to production
• Drive project team meetings
• Define, communicate, enforce, and graciously handle changes to the project schedule for the design and development of subsystems
• Work cross functionally with all Engineering teams (Hardware, Software, Technical Infrastructure)
• Hold the Engineering teams accountable to committed timelines for product delivery, validation testing, and reliability
• Support Engineering work management and organization in Jira and Confluence
• Partner with Engineering, Production, and Supply Chain teams to improve release management and hardware revisioning processes

Required Skills and Experience

• 7+ years of experience in a project/program management role focused on cross-functional engineering
• Experience working on complex hardware systems with electrical and software integration points. Experience with sensors and robotics a plus.
• Experience working with and managing relationships with contract manufacturers and vendors
• Familiarity with CAD, PLM, and project management tools (Teamcenter, Jira, Timeline)
• Ability to quickly pick up new concepts, and dive into a problem with a solutions-oriented, outcome-focused mindset
• Strong technical understanding and ability to establish credibility with engineers
• A clear and concise communicator, who can ensure that all parties are on the same page and working towards a shared plan
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, or equivalent experience

Desired skills and experience

• Technical background in mechanical engineering, software engineering, other related disciplines, or ocean scientific field
• Experience with Systems Engineering projects
• Ability to thrive within a fast-paced, ever-changing startup environment

Location: This position is in Alameda, CA. Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda. Even our walls have good karma, our offices mix software development with a hardware production line in the former airplane hangar used to film 'The Matrix'.

Physical Requirements: Work is performed on a computer and requires ability to operate a keyboard and other peripheral devices.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents.
• Short and relaxing ferry ride from the Ferry Building for SF residents
• Enhanced Parental Leave Programs
• Competitive benefits including excellent medical, life insurance, 401k plan

A reasonable estimate of the current range is $150,000-$200,000 annually.

Catch up on the latest news about us:

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea – The New York Times

Saildrone Takes the Wraps Off its Voyager Autonomous Research Vehicle – TechCrunch

An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast – San Francisco Chronicle

The Quest for CO2: You Can’t Capture What You Can’t Find – Inside Unmanned Systems

Hacking the Anthropocene with Survivalist Robots [VIDEO] – Freethink

Here’s What Hurricane Fiona’s Surf Looked Like, from Atop a 50-foot Wave – The Washington Post

An Unprecedented View Inside a Hurricane – EOS

Meet the sailing robots trying to solve climate change – The Hill

They Sailed Into a Hurricane, Now These Unmanned Saildrones are Seeking Data on Our Carbon Uptake – CNN

Saildrone Featured Videos Playlist

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Individual compensation packages are based on geographic location, scope of the role, relevant experience, and the ability to deal with complexity and problem solve within our organization, among other factors

Individuals who require employer sponsorship to remain employed in the United States now or in the future will not be considered for hire for certain positions.

Any unsolicited resumes/candidate profiles submitted through our website or to personal email accounts of employees of Saildrone are considered property of Saildrone and are not subject to payment of agency fees.

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