Staff Software Engineer, Perception

THE COMPANY Saildrone is a maritime defense company and the global leader in autonomous unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator, Saildrone maintains active, combat-deployed systems supporting national security and force projection around the world, 24/7/365. Saildrone’s manufacturing and R&D headquarters are located in Alameda, CA, with business development and sales operations in Washington, DC, and deployment hubs in Europe and the Middle East. By combining proven autonomous operations, edge computing, advanced sensing, renewable power, and the most advanced and robust unmanned surface technology on the planet, Saildrone is shaping how the Navy of the future operates. Join a fast-moving, mission-driven team at the forefront of maritime security and autonomous innovation. THE POSITION Saildrone is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Perception to join our Robotics Software Org. Reporting to the Engineering Manager, Perception, you will play a critical role in enabling real-time detection, tracking, and classification of vessels across Saildrone’s autonomous fleet. You will architect and deliver perception systems that operate reliably in complex maritime environments, directly advancing Saildrone’s mission to provide persistent maritime intelligence. We are looking for a technical expert who creates clarity from ambiguity, drives high-performance systems from concept to deployment, and thrives in solving hard autonomy problems in real-world conditions. 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 TEAM The Perception Engineering team is responsible for the design, development, and deployment of cutting-edge multi-sensor perception payloads. We are focused on delivering robust, scalable solutions for global maritime domain awareness to combat illegal activities, support national security, and ensure the safety of our unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) in the world’s most challenging oceans. THE RESPONSIBILITIES Lead end-to-end perception engineering efforts, owning the technical pipeline all the way from low-level sensor Hardware Abstraction Layers (HALs) to high-level multi-modal sensor fusion algorithms. Jump fluidly across different layers of the perception stack, seamlessly pivoting from raw data drivers to deep learning tracking models by leveraging extensive, hands-on domain knowledge. Bridge the gap between theory and execution by quickly productionizing state-of-the-art computer vision and machine learning research into rugged, real-time code. Be accountable for high-performance C++ software pipelines on real-time edge computing platforms, ensuring absolute reliability for months-long, autonomous ocean deployments. Work closely with Autonomy, Machine Learning, and Hardware teams to integrate and fuse multi-modal data—combining radar, camera, and AIS—to mitigate vehicle motion and wave clutter. Carry out day-to-day work utilizing our custom, next-gen state-of-the-art perception software and modern GPU-accelerated environments in accordance with established safety and performance standards. Monitor for system inefficiencies, sensor degradation, or algorithmic bottlenecks, take action to mitigate risks, and escalate when processing or power thresholds are exceeded. Design and maintain large-scale regression testing and simulation frameworks, utilizing Python to analyze real-world mission telemetry and evaluate algorithm performance. THE QUALIFICATIONS 8+ years of professional experience writing production-grade software (primarily C++) for robotics, autonomous vehicles, or aerospace applications. Deep, full-stack perception domain knowledge spanning sensor drivers, calibration, target tracking, computer vision, and multi-sensor fusion. Proven track record of evaluating academic papers or cutting-edge research and rapidly converting them…