Mission Operations Engineer (Program)

Responsibilities

• Develop deep understanding of vehicle HW and SW architecture, and how the vehicle operates as an integrated system.
• Lead planning and execution of structured field tests for vessel performance pertaining to autonomous navigation, perception, communications, and sensor integration, among other vessel functionalities.
• Diagnose and perform real-time troubleshooting of autonomy, networking, and onboard hardware or software during test events.
• Implement solutions for testing, safety of vessel operations, and system robustness to maximize efficiency.
• Own data logging and telemetry monitoring systems; ensure data integrity for post-test analysis.
• Contribute to root cause corrective action (RCCA) and issue triage workflows after field anomalies, with reporting to relevant review boards to eliminate repeat issues.
• Support day-to-day operation of autonomous vessels and support craft, using telemetry and onboard diagnostics to diagnose issues and improve reliability.
• Ensure testing aligns with DoD performance, compliance, and safety standards when applicable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• 1+ years of hands-on engineering experience (design teams and previous internships qualify)
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills (HW/SW) and ability to work effectively in challenging field conditions such as off-shore in open water
• Experience and knowledge of best practices in planning and execution of complex test operations involving autonomous systems
• Knowledge of networking protocols and communication systems used in autonomous vessels
• Systems engineering experience, ability to understand multi-disciplinary integrated systems
• Experience with sensor integration such as EO/IR, radar, IMU, and data processing
• Experience with integration and testing of multi-disciplinary integrated systems
• Experience with robotics, AI, or machine learning applications
• Familiarity with software development in Rust, Python, or other languages and CLI environment
• Familiarity with maritime operations
• Understanding of DoD requirements and standards for autonomous systems
• Experience working with embedded systems and real-time computing