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Senior Software Engineer, Perception
Saildrone
Software Engineering
Alameda, CA, USA
USD 176,400-226,800 / year + Equity
Posted on Nov 8, 2025
About Us
With more than 2 million nautical miles sailed and 50,000 days at sea, Saildrone has earned the trust of governments worldwide. Our unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) deliver continuous, real-time intelligence in the toughest oceans on Earth—giving our partners faster awareness, stronger security, and a decisive edge at sea.
Our USVs are long-range, extreme-endurance platforms powered by advanced sensors and proprietary AI - they have been designed to operate where no crewed vessel can. They collect critical insights above and below the surface to support border security, law enforcement, naval operations, and undersea infrastructure protection.
Headquartered in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington, DC, and global deployment hubs, Saildrone operates missions worldwide. Join a fast-moving, mission-driven team at the intersection of AI, autonomy, and defense technology—where data turns into intelligence, and intelligence drives action.
The Role
We’re looking for a Senior Perception Engineer to lead the development of advanced sensing and autonomy capabilities for Saildrone’s fleet of unmanned surface vehicles. Our systems operate for months at sea, delivering critical intelligence and situational awareness in support of national security and maritime operations, detecting drug trafficking and human smuggling amongst the other vessels in the open ocean.
In this role, you’ll take technical ownership of perception software that enables Saildrones to detect, track, and classify vessels in real time. You’ll architect and implement high-performance C++ systems that fuse data from radar, cameras, and other sensors; evaluate and validate new sensing technologies; and ensure reliable operation in complex, real-world ocean environments.
As a senior member of the team, you'll be asked to drive cross-functional projects, such as integrating sensors that improve the situational awareness of our drones. Over time, you may also help lead initiatives in distributed autonomy, and advanced localization—core technologies driving the next generation of autonomous surface operations.
Join us and play a leading role in advancing intelligent, autonomous systems operating at sea.
Responsibilities
● Lead technical initiatives within the perception team to improve sensor performance and enhance multi-sensor fusion algorithms.
● Work with product managers, technical leads, and systems engineers to ensure designs meet overall system requirements.
● Design, develop, and evaluate perception and tracking algorithms to fuse data from cameras, radars, and other sensors.
● Write efficient, well-tested C++ code for real-time embedded systems.
● Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure proper integration of sensor hardware into perception software.
● Partner with machine learning engineers to ensure end-to-end system performance is optimized onboard.
● Develop and maintain large-scale perception regression tests to enable rapid iteration and track system performance.
● Productionize and harden algorithms for long-duration, real-world deployments.
● Collaborate with platform and UI engineers to ensure sensor information is presented clearly for near–real-time situational awareness and navigation.
Required Skills and Experience
● 5–8 years of professional experience in a relevant domain.
● 3+ years of experience developing production-grade software.
● BS or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
● 3+ years of professional experience with C++ (our primary development language).
● Strong understanding of perception systems and algorithms.
● Experience with robotic operating systems such as ROS.
● Familiarity with machine learning algorithms.
● Familiarity with GPU-accelerated algorithm development.
● Familiarity with signal processing algorithms.
● Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset.
● A desire to solve complex, real-world robotics problems.
Desired Skills and Experience
● Hands-on experience with computer vision, online state estimation, sensor fusion, and machine learning.
● Experience with detection and tracking in radar or other sensor modalities.
● Knowledge of filtering algorithms such as Kalman and Particle filters.
● Experience with Python for analysis, testing, or prototyping.
● Experience deploying to NVIDIA Jetson/AGX or similar embedded compute platforms.
● Background in robotics, autonomy, or related real-time perception systems.
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:
- Paid time off, including vacation, bereavement, jury duty, sick time and parental leave
- Comprehensive and competitive medical, dental and vision plans, and HSA with employer matching.
- Company sponsored life insurance
- Stock Options
- Annual stipend for continued learning and development
- Quarterly company BBQs at our Alameda HQ (bring your friends and family!)
- Free Bay Area Public Transportation via AlamedaTMA with the BayPass Clipper Card
The salary range for the role is $176,400-$226,800 annually.
Individual compensation packages are based on geographic location, scope of the role, and relevant experience, among other factors.
Saildrone is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.
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