Mission Operations Engineer (Program)

Saronic Technologies is a leader in revolutionizing autonomy at sea, dedicated to developing state-of-the-art solutions that enhance maritime operations through autonomous and intelligent platforms.

Job Overview

As a Mission Operations Engineer, you will be hands-on with the deployment, validation, and iterative improvement of our autonomous surface vessels. You will be a member of the Integrity & Performance element, the focused execution arm for high-priority validation efforts that strengthen product confidence, improve capability performance, and increase reliability. Your work will directly support both project-based deliverables (e.g., capability rollouts) and ongoing programs (e.g., V1 software release). This role spans the Joint Operations Center (JOC) - our centralized watch floor for monitoring, command and control, and real-time technical support of distributed vessel operations. You will split time between hands-on field execution and standing watch in the JOC, where you serve as the remote technical authority for teams operating around the world. You will also help build the JOC itself: the tooling, procedures, and escalation paths that make sustained autonomous operations repeatable. You are able to meet deadlines and achieve desired outcomes as both an individual contributor and as a part of your team.

Responsibilities:

How you support the mission

• 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.

• Stand watch in the Joint Operations Center, maintaining situational awareness across concurrent vessel operations through live telemetry, video, and C2 feeds; detect, characterize, and escalate anomalies before they become mission-impacting.

• Serve as the remote technical authority during live operations — triage autonomy, networking, and HW/SW faults from the JOC and direct afloat and shoreside teams to resolution under time pressure and degraded comms.

• Support JOC watch rotations, including nights, weekends, and on-call coverage during test campaigns and customer operations; execute disciplined shift handovers and maintain accurate watch and event logs.

• 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.

How you support the team

• Lead planning and execution of test cases to validate software updates, autonomy behaviors, and integrated system functionality.

• Interface with autonomy, software, hardware, and systems teams to translate product requirements into field-validated test objectives.

• Help stand up and mature the JOC: telemetry and C2 dashboards, alerting thresholds, comms architecture, standard operating procedures, escalation matrices, and after-action reporting formats.

• Lead after-action reviews for JOC-observed events, converting watch-floor observations into RCCA inputs and durable product feedback.

• Foster a collaborative and positive team environment, promoting open communication, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.

• Develop test procedures, checklists, and safety protocols to support repeatable and safe vessel operation and overall mission execution while eliminating process waste.

• Create post-mission reports with detailed logs, data plots, issue summaries, and engineering feedback.

Basic 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)

• Willingness to support a watch rotation, including nights, weekends, and on-call periods during active operations

• Up to 50% travel (moved it up from Preferred Qualifications)

Preferred Qualifications

• 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

• Experience in an operations center, watch floor, mission control, TOC, or NOC environment - including shift handover discipline, event logging, and escalation under time pressure

• Familiarity with C2 and telemetry visualization tooling (e.g., Grafana, Nominal, Foxglove, ROS-based tooling) and building operator-facing dashboards or alerting

• Knowledge of networking protocols and communication systems used in autonomous vessels

• Experience operating over constrained or contested links (SATCOM, LTE, RF mesh) and troubleshooting remotely through intermittent connectivity

• 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

Physical Demands

• Ability to certify as “fit for work” by demonstrating ability to swim and tread water

• Frequently and repetitively, lift, push and carry up to 75 lbs.

• Will be exposed to marine environments, including sun, wind, rain, cold, and saltwater spray, often for extended periods

• Must be able to operate in daylight, low-light, and night conditions using marine navigation systems and visual cues

• Ability to perform physically demanding work for extended periods of time, up to 12 hours/day

• The ability to carry 20 lbs. up and down stairs

Benefits

• Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance plans covering a range of services

• Saronic pays 100% of the premium for employees and 80% for dependents

• Dental and Vision Insurance: Coverage for routine dental check-ups, orthodontics, and vision care

• Saronic pays 100% of the premium under the basic plan for employees and 80% for dependents

• Time Off: Generous PTO and Holidays

• Parental Leave: Paid maternity and paternity leave to support new parents

• Competitive Salary: Industry-standard salaries with opportunities for performance-based bonuses

• Retirement Plan: 401(k) plan with company match

• Stock Options: Equity options to give employees a stake in the company’s success

• Life and Disability Insurance: Basic life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage

• Pet Insurance: Discounted pet insurance options including 24/7 Telehealth helpline

• Additional Perks: Free lunch benefit and unlimited free drinks and snacks in the office

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