Firmware Engineering Manager

About Us

Saildrone 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 Role

The 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

• 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.
• Ensure a consistent architectural approach across all firmware components, from low-level drivers to system services.
• Collaborate with hardware, software, and payload teams to ensure seamless integration of compute and sensor platforms.

Technical Execution & Delivery

• Own the development and maintenance of the firmware stack, including bring-up for new hardware platforms
• Drive the next generation of firmware architecture and infrastructure
• Support, manage, and enhance firmware on various 3rd party devices
• Ensure rigorous design, test, and validation processes for all firmware releases

Engineering Management

• Translate business and mission requirements into a firmware roadmap with clear deliverables and timelines.
• Work closely with Technical Program Management to prioritize work, manage resources, and deliver to schedule.
• Establish key performance metrics to monitor the health, reliability, and performance of the firmware stack.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Hardware and Application Software Engineering teams to optimize end-to-end system performance
• Engage with operations teams to ensure firmware updates are deployed and validated effectively in the field
• Advocate for technical solutions that balance innovation, reliability, and maintainability

Talent Development

• Recruit, develop, and retain top-tier firmware engineering talent.
• Provide mentorship, career growth opportunities, and technical guidance to team members.

Required Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• 8+ years of experience in embedded firmware development for microcontrollers
• 2+ years of engineering management or technical leadership experience, including roadmap ownership, scheduling, and resource planning
• Proficiency in C++ for embedded systems
• Experience with CAN, Ethernet, and other communication standards
• Familiarity with a variety of serial hardware interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C, etc.)
• 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
• Experience collaborating with hardware and systems engineers to develop embedded level controllers
• Proven ability to lead in a fast-paced, startup or high-growth environment
• Excellent leadership, communication, and collaboration skills

Desired Skills and Experience

• Experience with firmware related to robotic systems, such as servo and engine control
• Familiarity with a low level RTOS such as FreeRTOS
• Experience with device driver or kernel development
• A thorough understanding of schematics and how they relate to firmware architecture and implementations

Physical Requirements

• 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
  
  

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
• Plenty of snacks in our 3 office locations
• Dog-friendly work environment

Catch up on the latest news about us:

The British Engineer Behind the US Navy’s High-tech Ocean Drones – The Times of London

Denmark to Field Unmanned Vessels for Monitoring Busy Shipping Routes – Defense News

Counter-drug Sea Drones Utilized by Navy as Trump Ramps Up Military Resources at the Border

Saildrone, Palantir Partner to Use AI to Streamline USV Manufacturing, Operations – Breaking Defense

An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast – San Francisco Chronicle

USVs Could Deter IUU Fishing – USNI Proceedings

TIME 100 Most Influential Companies 2024: Saildrone

Saildrone Featured Videos Playlist

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.

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