Product Manager

About Us

At Saildrone, we sustainably explore, map, and monitor the oceans to understand, protect, and preserve our world. We provide real-time access to critical data from any ocean on earth, 24/7/365, and use proprietary software applications to transform that data into actionable insights and intelligence. Our fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), powered by renewable wind and solar power, have a minimal carbon footprint and operate without the need for a crewed support vessel. Saildrone works with governments, civil agencies, foundations, universities, and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas—from sailing into the eye of a category 4 hurricane to obtain new data about how storms intensify, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, and counting fish biomass to inform sustainable fishery management, to mapping the ocean floor and reducing illegal fishing and drug trafficking. As a result of our work, Saildrone has been included on Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, earned an Ocean Awards’ Innovation Award, won Best Tech For Good from the Timmy Awards, and was recognized by Andreessen Horowitz’s American Dynamism 50 list of the Top 50 Companies Kickstarting American Renewal. Our first-annual Atlantic hurricane mission with NOAA was included as one of The New York Times’ 21 Things That Happened for the First Time in 2021 and Popular Science's 100 Greatest Innovations of 2021.

We are based in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington DC and St. Petersburg, FL, and operate our missions worldwide. Saildrone is backed by top-tier investors in the frontier tech and sustainability sectors, including Social Capital, Capricorn, Lux Capital, BOND Capital, and Emerson Collective.

This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting-edge intersection of big data services and autonomous hardware. You will be an integral part of a high-performing multi-disciplinary delivering high impact for humanity and future generations.

The Role

We are seeking a hands-on product manager to drive the roadmap for our global fleet of ocean-going sailing drones. As a member of the product team, you’ll work cross-functionally: with software engineers, manufacturing, operations and business development organizations to facilitate both short-term tactical decisions and longer-term strategic initiatives.

As a product manager at Saildrone, you may be responsible for data products and APIs, frontend web applications for data visualization and collaboration, or mobile-responsive tools used for configuring and readying our robotic sailboats and sub-systems. Your users can include expert sailors, scientists, analysts, researchers, and engineers. You will be responsible for interacting with them, advocating for them, and translating requirements from them for engineering teams to build.

We will rely on you to hold our teams accountable to producing cutting-edge technology on time and at a high quality bar. In the beginning, expect to spend your time driving features and improvements, analyzing data to assess and track success, and overtime you will own and define entire pieces of our product roadmap. At a quickly growing company like Saildrone, you will need to thrive in a fast-paced environment and be self-directed.

On our small, tight-knit team, you’ll get leadership visibility and have a direct impact on the drones we sail around the world to collect first-in-class data. You will be a part of a team of talented individuals who are just as passionate about supporting one another as they are about our planetary mission. Honesty and willingness to accept feedback are critical, as is a sense of humor and generally having fun!

Required Skills and Experience

• 5+ years of experience in product management
• Experience and familiarity with the bathymetry industry or a related field
• Experience working with the agile development lifecycle: defining requirements, establishing quality metrics and KPIs, using data to quantify and measure success
• Experience performing market research and business analyses to guide prioritization and product decisions
• Experience working with products that span hardware, software, and data
• Experience in the robotics space is a plus
• Experience managing B2B and/or B2G products
• Experience gathering user feedback, analyzing usage metrics, and performing user research
• Experience working on web and mobile responsive user interfaces, as well as APIs
• Strong technical understanding. Ability to establish credibility with engineers
• Ability to thrive within a fast-paced, ever-changing startup environment
• A clear and concise communicator, who can ensure that all parties are on the same page and working towards a shared plan
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time

Desired skills and experience

• Technical background in engineering, other related disciplines
• Experience sailing is a plus
• Experience working with users across the government and/or military domains is a plus
• Familiarity with tools like Figma or Sketch for basic mockups, Jira and Confluence for project planning and management
• BA/BS (or MA/MS) or equivalent experience

Physical Requirements

• Work is performed on a computer and requires ability to operate a keyboard and other peripheral devices. Required travel can include vehicle, train, or airplane as modes of transportation.

Location: This position is a hybrid role in Alameda, CA. Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda. Even our walls have good karma, our offices mix software development with a hardware production line in the former airplane hangar used to film 'The Matrix'.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents.
• Short and relaxing ferry ride from the Ferry Building for SF residents
• Enhanced Parental Leave Programs
• Competitive benefits including excellent medical, life insurance, 401k plan
  
  

A reasonable estimate of the current range is $125,000-$150,000 annually.

Catch up on the latest news about us:

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea – The New York Times
Alameda's Saildrones collect hurricane data - KTVU Fox 2
Record Setting: Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 Entered into Guinness Book
Saildrone Takes the Wraps Off its Voyager Autonomous Research Vehicle – TechCrunch
An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast – San Francisco Chronicle
The Quest for CO2: You Can’t Capture What You Can’t Find – Inside Unmanned Systems
Hacking the Anthropocene with Survivalist Robots [VIDEO] – Freethink
Here’s What Hurricane Fiona’s Surf Looked Like, from Atop a 50-foot Wave – The Washington Post
An Unprecedented View Inside a Hurricane – EOS
They Sailed Into a Hurricane, Now These Unmanned Saildrones are Seeking Data on Our Carbon Uptake – CNN
Saildrone Featured Videos Playlist

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

At Saildrone, we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that a diverse and inclusive team leads to innovation and better problem-solving. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, ethnicities, races, sexual orientations, disabilities, and backgrounds.

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.

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.

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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