Staff Software Engineer, Platform

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

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 lead complex, multi-team projects, make critical architectural decisions, and ensure the stability and scalability of our platform. Beyond high-level responsibilities, we’re seeking an engineer who’s hands-on and ready to dive in to help us build faster.

This role is required to be onsite in Alameda, CA in the Bay Area 3 days per week - this is our hybrid model. This is not a remote position.

Required Skills and Experience

• 8+ years of professional software development experience
• BA/BS in related field or equivalent experience
• Proven ability to lead multi-team projects
• Experience in mentoring senior engineers, fostering both technical and professional growth.
• Strong expertise in Python and/or TypeScript.
• Mastery of relational databases, ideally PostgreSQL.
• Experience with Event Driven architectures
• Extensive experience with REST APIs and microservices
• Experience with authentication and authorization mechanisms (e.g. OAuth, OIDC, API Gateways)
• Knowledge of Kubernetes and container orchestration.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Proficiency with Linux/Unix environments
• GraphQL experience
• Experience with infrastructure automation tools (ideally Ansible).
• Experience with gRPC and Protobuf
• Distributed system experience

Location : This position is hybrid in Alameda, CA (Onsite 3 days per week required). 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

A reasonable estimate of the current range 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.

#LI-Hybrid