Lead Test Engineer

Overview

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 endurance platforms equipped with advanced sensors and proprietary AI to provide persistent insights above and below the sea surface, supporting border security, law enforcement, undersea infrastructure protection, hydrography, and naval power applications. Saildrone has sailed over 2,000,000 nautical miles and spent 50,000 days at sea, earning trust from governments worldwide and setting a standard for cost-efficient maritime intelligence in harsh 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 of big data services, autonomy, and AI. You will join a high-performing, multidisciplinary team delivering data, intelligence, and firepower for strategic superiority.

The Role

Lead Test Engineer responsible for designing and implementing in-process manufacturing test processes and systems that support new production, ensuring modules and assemblies meet design specifications and requirements. You will own the testing regime across the manufacturing process, from cable harnesses to fully integrated systems, and collaborate with software engineering, hardware engineering, production, quality assurance, and technical operations teams. You will apply technical expertise to ensure operational excellence across the product line.

Responsibilities

• Lead and expand the team supporting manufacturing test capability as the company grows.
• Design and build production test solutions, define test regimes, and integrate testing into the manufacturing process.
• Ensure in-process test processes are fully integrated and able to support production build rates and capacity.
• Support Quality KPIs regarding first-pass yield targets for finished modules and assemblies.
• Integrate lessons learned from field technical teams based on discoveries and root-cause analyses for performance issues.
• Participate in Engineering Change Order (ECO) reviews to provide input on new product introductions and changes.
• Analyze metrics, troubleshoot hardware and firmware, and improve system reliability.
• Write and manage test scripts, design fixtures, and document best practices.
• Provide guidance to production technicians and engineering colleagues on test setup operations.

Required Skills and Experience

Desired Skills and Experience

Physical Requirements

Location

This position is in Alameda, CA. Our waterfront office offers views of San Francisco Bay in sunny Alameda.

Benefits

A reasonable estimate of the current range is $132,500-$211,900 annually.

Legal and Other Information

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 or candidate profiles submitted through our website are considered the property of Saildrone and are not subject to payment of agency fees.

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