Senior Software Engineer, Platform

About Us

Saildrone builds autonomous systems that dominate the world’s oceans

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

The Platform team manages the foundational systems that keep our fleet running and enable our customer deliverables. The team is responsible for customer-facing APIs, authentication and authorization systems, automated drone configuration, fleet monitoring systems and much more! With our wide swath of ownership, this team is critical to the growth of our company, meaning your impact will be immediately felt.

As part of this role, you’ll take ownership of key systems, drive improvements to performance and reliability, and contribute to critical architectural discussions. We’re looking for an engineer who’s hands-on, eager to build, and ready to collaborate across teams to deliver high-impact features faster.

Required skills and experience

● 5 years of professional software development experience

● BA/BS in related field or equivalent experience

● Proven ability to lead complex projects

● Strong expertise in Python and/or TypeScript.

● Fluency in code design patterns and their appropriate use cases.

● Experience with Event Driven and Microservice architectures

● Extensive experience with REST APIs, microservices, and cloud infrastructure (AWS, SNS/SQS, Lambda).

● Mastery of relational databases, ideally PostgreSQL.

Desired skills and experience

● Proficiency with Linux/Unix environments

● Experience with infrastructure automation tools (ideally Ansible).

● Knowledge of Kubernetes and container orchestration

● Experience with authentication and authorization mechanisms (e.g. OAuth, OIDC, API Gateways)

● Experience with gRPC and Protobuf

● Familiarity with frameworks like Hapi (JavaScript), Django REST (Python), and FastAPI (Python).

Physical requirements

Work is performed on a computer and requires ability to operate a keyboard and other peripheral devices.

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

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.

#LI-Hybrid