Saronic Technologies is a leader in revolutionizing autonomy at sea, dedicated to developing state-of-the-art solutions that enhance maritime operations through autonomous and intelligent platforms.
JOB OVERVIEW
As a Mission Operations Engineer, you will be hands-on with the deployment, validation, and iterative improvement of our autonomous surface vessels. You will be a member of the Integrity & Performance element, the focused execution arm for high-priority validation efforts that strengthen product confidence, improve capability performance, and increase reliability. Your work will directly support both project-based deliverables (e.g., capability rollouts) and ongoing programs (e.g., V1 software release). This role spans the Joint Operations Center (JOC) - our centralized watch floor for monitoring, command and control, and real-time technical support of distributed vessel operations. You will split time between hands-on field execution and standing watch in the JOC, where you serve as the remote technical authority for teams operating around the world. You will also help build the JOC itself: the tooling, procedures, and escalation paths that make sustained autonomous operations repeatable. You are able to meet deadlines and achieve desired outcomes as both an individual contributor and as a part of your team.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
How you support the mission
- Develop deep understanding of vehicle HW and SW architecture, and how the vehicle operates as an integrated system.
- Lead planning and execution of structured field tests for vessel performance pertaining to autonomous navigation, perception, communications, and sensor integration, among other vessel functionalities.
- Diagnose and perform real-time troubleshooting of autonomy, networking, and onboard hardware or software during test events.
- Stand watch in the Joint Operations Center, maintaining situational awareness across concurrent vessel operations through live telemetry, video, and C2 feeds; detect, characterize, and escalate anomalies before they become mission-impacting.
- Serve as the remote technical authority during live operations — triage autonomy, networking, and HW/SW faults from the JOC and direct afloat and shoreside teams to resolution under time pressure and degraded comms.
- Support JOC watch rotations, including nights, weekends, and on-call coverage during test campaigns and customer operations; execute disciplined shift handovers and maintain accurate watch and event logs.
- Implement solutions for testing, safety of vessel operations, and system robustness to maximize efficiency.
- Own data logging and telemetry monitoring systems; ensure data integrity for post-test analysis.
- Contribute to root cause corrective action (RCCA) and issue triage workflows after field anomalies, with reporting to relevant review boards to eliminate repeat issues.
- Support day-to-day operation of autonomous vessels and support craft, using telemetry and onboard diagnostics to diagnose issues and improve reliability.
- Ensure testing aligns with DoD performance, compliance, and safety standards when applicable.
How you support the team
- Lead planning and execution of test cases to validate software updates, autonomy behaviors, and integrated system functionality.
- Interface with autonomy, software, hardware, and systems teams to translate product requirements into field-validated test objectives.
- Help stand up and mature the JOC: telemetry and C2 dashboards, alerting thresholds, comms architecture, standard operating procedures, escalation matrices, and after-action reporting formats.
- Lead after-action reviews for JOC-observed events, converting watch-floor observations into RCCA inputs and durable product feedback.
- Foster a collaborative and positive team environment, promoting open communication, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.
- Develop test procedures, checklists, and safety protocols to support repeatable and safe vessel operation…