Senior Mechanical Engineering Manager

Job Description

Job Description

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

Saildrone designs, builds, and deploys autonomous surface vehicles (USVs) that operate continuously for months at a time in the harsh ocean environment. The Senior Mechanical Engineering Manager will lead the mechanical engineering team responsible for the detail design of all electro-mechanical sub-assemblies onboard the Saildrone USV platforms and maintaining the total vehicle Bill of Materials for all sensor configurations. This includes component and sub-assembly design of systems for actuation and control, power generation, propulsion, sensor integration, thermal management, corrosion protection, and environmental enclosures.

Reporting to the Head of Hardware Engineering, this leader will own the mechanical engineering execution pipeline — ensuring high-quality design, clear documentation, disciplined review practices, and timely delivery. This role requires a strong technical foundation in mechanical design, combined with leadership ability to guide a growing team through rapid iteration cycles and production scaling.

The ideal candidate is hands-on, detail-driven, pragmatic, and experienced in designing field- deployed systems that must survive real-world stress at production scale.

Responsibilities

Mechanical Engineering Leadership

• Lead the mechanical engineering team, including assignment of work, priority setting, and daily technical support.
• Define and enforce mechanical engineering quality standards, workflows, documentation practices, and release processes.
• Ensure consistency and rigor in CAD modeling, tolerance analysis, assembly detailing, and revision control.

Design Review & Technical Excellence

Delivery & Execution

Team Development & Culture

Manufacturing & Operations Collaboration

Required Skills and Experience

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 :

The salary range for the role is $189,000-$243,000 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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