About UsSaildrone is a defense company delivering maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance products to military, homeland security, and commercial customers. Saildrone unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) are extreme-endurance platforms equipped with advanced sensors and proprietary AI to provide persistent insights above and below the sea surface. Insights that support border security, law enforcement, undersea infrastructure protection, hydrography, and naval power applications. With more than 2,000,000 nautical miles sailed and 50,000 days at sea, Saildrone USVs are trusted by governments across the planet and set the standard for cost-efficient maritime intelligence in the world's harshest environments. We are based in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington DC and St. Petersburg, FL, and operate missions worldwide. This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting-edge intersection of big data services, autonomy, and AI. You will be part of a high-performing, multidisciplinary team delivering data, intelligence, and firepower for strategic superiority. The RoleThe Firmware Engineering Manager will lead Saildrone’s firmware development team, owning the architecture, integration, and delivery of the onboard firmware stack for Saildrone’s autonomous surface vehicles. This includes real-time firmware modules for core compute and payload systems. We are planning to rearchitect a significant portion of our codebase, so this is a good time to join to have a lot of impact on a brand-new distributed system design. Our embedded software is written in C and C++, and it communicates over many types of channels using a wide array of protocols.This role will require both technical leadership and provide opportunities to make hands-on contributions to ensure the stack’s stability, performance, and scalability. The Firmware Engineering Manager will guide a multidisciplinary team in delivering robust, high-performance embedded systems that enable our mission-critical defense and maritime operations.The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in firmware development, hardware bring-up, and system-level debugging, with a proven track record leading teams in a fast-paced, high-growth, defense technology environment. Responsibilities Firmware Stack Leadership<ul><li>Lead and mentor the firmware team responsible for the full onboard firmware stack, including Linux OS integration, drivers, board support packages, and application-level firmware.</li><li>Ensure a consistent architectural approach across all firmware components, from low-level drivers to system services.</li><li>Collaborate with hardware, software, and payload teams to ensure seamless integration of compute and sensor platforms.</li></ul> Technical Execution &amp; Delivery<ul><li>Own the development and maintenance of the firmware stack, including bring-up for new hardware platforms</li><li>Drive the next generation of firmware architecture and infrastructure</li><li>Support, manage, and enhance firmware on various 3rd party devices</li><li>Ensure rigorous design, test, and validation processes for all firmware releases</li></ul> Engineering Management<ul><li>Translate business and mission requirements into a firmware roadmap with clear deliverables and timelines.</li><li>Work closely with Technical Program Management to prioritize work, manage resources, and deliver to schedule.</li><li>Establish key performance metrics to monitor the health, reliability, and performance of the firmware stack.</li></ul> Cross-Functional Collaboration<ul><li>Partner with Hardware and Application Software Engineering teams to optimize end-to-end system performance</li><li>Engage with operations teams to ensure firmware updates are deployed and validated effectively in the field</li><li>Advocate for technical solutions that balance innovation, reliability, and maintainability</li></ul> Talent Development<ul><li>Recruit, develop, and retain top-tier firmware engineering talent.</li><li>Provide mentorship, career growth opportunities, and technical guidance to team members.</li></ul> Required Skills and Experience<ul><li>Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field</li><li>8+ years of experience in embedded firmware development for microcontrollers</li><li>2+ years of engineering management or technical leadership experience, including roadmap ownership, scheduling, and resource planning</li><li>Proficiency in C++ for embedded systems</li><li>Experience with CAN, Ethernet, and other communication standards</li><li>Familiarity with a variety of serial hardware interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C, etc.)</li><li>Understanding of how to set up toolchains and use in-circuit debuggers, how to manage memory and storage in constrained environments, and bare-metal boot sequences</li><li>Experience collaborating with hardware and systems engineers to develop embedded level controllers</li><li>Proven ability to lead in a fast-paced, startup or high-growth environment</li><li>Excellent leadership, communication, and collaboration skills</li></ul> Desired Skills and Experience<ul><li>Experience with firmware related to robotic systems, such as servo and engine control</li><li>Familiarity with a low level RTOS such as FreeRTOS</li><li>Experience with device driver or kernel development</li><li>A thorough understanding of schematics and how they relate to firmware architecture and implementations</li></ul> Physical Requirements<ul><li> Must be able to stand, walk, use hands to grasp, push and pull, bend, lift up to 50 lbs, and reach with your hands and arms. Must be able to perform work on a computer that requires ability to operate a keyboard and other peripheral device </li></ul>Location: This position is in Alameda, CA. Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda. All employees are required to provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. within their first 3 days of work. Please note that the Company does not sponsor employees for work visas or permanent resident cards to work in the U.S. If you need sponsorship for a work visa or green card, you will not be qualified for employment with Saildrone. Benefits:<ul><li>Paid time off, including vacation, bereavement, jury duty, sick time and parental leave</li><li>Comprehensive and competitive medical, dental and vision plans, and HSA with employer matching.</li><li>Company sponsored life insurance</li><li>Stock Options</li><li>Annual stipend for continued learning and development</li><li>Quarterly company BBQs at our Alameda HQ (bring your friends and family!)</li><li>Free Bay Area Public Transportation via AlamedaTMA with the BayPass Clipper Card</li><li>Plenty of snacks in our 3 office locations</li><li>Dog-friendly work environment</li></ul> <div><div>A reasonable estimate of the current range is $189,000-$243,000 annually.</div></div><div> </div> Catch up on the latest news about us:<a href="https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/technology/article/the-british-engineer-behind-the-us-navys-high-tech-ocean-drones-vnr5lvhf7">The British Engineer Behind the US Navy’s High-tech Ocean Drones – The Times of London</a><a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/05/08/denmark-to-field-unmanned-vessels-for-monitoring-busy-shipping-routes/">Denmark to Field Unmanned Vessels for Monitoring Busy Shipping Routes – Defense News</a><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/counter-drug-sea-drones-utilized-navy-trump-ramps-up-military-resources-border">Counter-drug Sea Drones Utilized by Navy as Trump Ramps Up Military Resources at the Border</a><a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2025/03/saildrone-palantir-partner-to-use-ai-to-streamline-usv-manufacturing-operations/">Saildrone, Palantir Partner to Use AI to Streamline USV Manufacturing, Operations – Breaking Defense</a><a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/underwater-mountain-california-alaska-17852430.php?utm_source=marketing&amp;utm_medium=copy-url-link&amp;utm_campaign=article-share&amp;hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL2NsaW1hdGUvYXJ0aWNsZS91bmRlcndhdGVyLW1vdW50YWluLWNhbGlmb3JuaWEtYWxhc2thLTE3ODUyNDMwLnBocA==&amp;time=MTY4Mzg0MjA4OTIzNQ==&amp;rid=YWRjMTllMzgtYzkzNi00OGQ2LTljMzgtMTQ2OGNlMThiZWY4&amp;sharecount=MQ==">An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast – San Francisco Chronicle</a><a href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/august/usvs-could-deter-iuu-fishing">USVs Could Deter IUU Fishing – USNI Proceedings</a><a href="https://time.com/6978988/saildrone/">TIME 100 Most Influential Companies 2024: Saildrone</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeNeAwBccKamrUbEQxoygLQ">Saildrone Featured Videos Playlist</a> 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.We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. 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. #LI-Hybrid#LI-LP1

Saildrone designs and manufactures wind and solar powered autonomous surface vehicles called Saildrones, which make cost-effective ocean data collection possible at scale. We are working with governments, civic agencies, foundations, universities, and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas - be it in mapping out the ocean floor, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, counting biomass to establish fishing quotas, or detecting and stopping illegal fishing and trafficking. We believe that better inputs in planetary models in turn yield better outputs and that the new insights gained in weather forecasting, carbon cycling, global fishing and climate change will have tremendous impact on humanity. We are based in Alameda, CA.

Firmware Engineering Manager

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Saildrone

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