Senior Production Engineer

About Us

At Saildrone, we sustainably explore, map, and monitor the oceans to understand, protect, and preserve our world. We provide real-time access to critical data from any ocean on earth, 24/7/365, and use proprietary software applications to transform that data into actionable insights and intelligence. Our fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), powered by renewable wind and solar power, have a minimal carbon footprint and operate without the need for a crewed support vessel. Saildrone works with governments, civil agencies, foundations, universities, and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas—from sailing into the eye of a category 4 hurricane to obtain new data about how storms intensify, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, and counting fish biomass to inform sustainable fishery management, to mapping the ocean floor and reducing illegal fishing and drug trafficking. As a result of our work, Saildrone has been included on Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, earned an Ocean Awards’ Innovation Award, won Best Tech For Good from the Timmy Awards, and was recognized by Andreessen Horowitz’s American Dynamism 50 list of the Top 50 Companies Kickstarting American Renewal. Our first-annual Atlantic hurricane mission with NOAA was included as one of The New York Times’ 21 Things That Happened for the First Time in 2021 and Popular Science's 100 Greatest Innovations of 2021.

We are based in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington DC and St. Petersburg, FL, and operate our missions worldwide. Saildrone is backed by top-tier investors in the frontier tech and sustainability sectors, including Social Capital, Capricorn, Lux Capital, BOND Capital, and Emerson Collective.

This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting-edge intersection of big data services and autonomous hardware. You will be an integral part of a high-performing multi-disciplinary delivering high impact for humanity and future generations.

The Role

As a Senior Production Engineer for Saildrone you will directly support the industrialization and scaling of our production line, including sub-assembly component builds, drone fitout processes, and teardown and rebuild processes to a steady and reliable production state.

The ideal candidate can partner with multiple stakeholders in R&D engineering, production, and supply chain in shepherding mission-specific designs into production- and service-ready components and procedures. This would include reviewing mechanical/electrical drawings, assisting supply chain with make/vs buy decisions, developing and maintaining detailed work instructions, and maintaining accurate manufacturing Bill of Materials within Saildrone’s inventory systems. This candidate can tactically support on a daily basis with production and drone operators to assist with quality and technical build issues, determine root causes, and implement changes on the shop floor as well as drive design changes to support continuous improvement of the product and efficiency of the process.

This role would report to the Manager of Process Engineering.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with multiple stakeholders (facilities, production, hardware engineering, and warehouse) in developing repeatable assembly, repair, and drone fit-out procedures to support efficient use of technician labor.
• Drive shop floor improvements to decrease downtime and improve process efficiency
• Lead continuous improvement efforts through kaizen workshops and lean implementations.
• Support damage/repair processes and be the first point of contact for build issues on the shop floor
• Collect and root cause repeated issues, and drive quality solutions to shop floor
• Support labor time motion studies to optimize labor hours across production assemblies
• Validate design drawings and assist with new product introductions for specialized mission requirements.
• Maintain manufacturing BOMs to enable proper demand planning and material delivery to the shop floor.
• Support re-work and refurbishment fit-out campaigns across our drone fleet to keep fleet availability high for our customers.

Required Skills and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant area such as Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering. Electrical Engineering or similar
• 5+ years experience working hands-on in a manufacturing environment, in a manufacturing/production or shop floor engineering support role
• 5+ years demonstrated experience in new production development, getting large complex electro-mechanical assemblies from prototype to consistent production cadences
• 3+ years of 3D CAD modeling experience

Desired Skills and Experience

• Experience with NX/Unigraphics, Teamcenter CAD and PDM systems for component and tooling design
• Worked with Manufacturing Execution Systems for work instruction deployment and/or ERP systems (Oracle, Tulip) for managing Bill of Materials, routings, and inventory transactions
• Experience working at a Lean Mfg environment
• Experience in quality control procedures, quarantine, and developing re-work repair instructions for shop floor personnel
• Experience working with diesel engines and cooling systems

Physical Requirements

• Will need to occasionally lift up to 35+ lbs, spend some extended periods of time standing.

Location: This position is in Alameda, CA. Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda. Even our walls have good karma, our offices mix software development with a hardware production line in the former airplane hangar used to film 'The Matrix'.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents.
• Short and relaxing ferry ride from the Ferry Building for SF residents
• Enhanced Parental Leave Programs
• Competitive benefits including excellent medical, life insurance, 401k plan
  
  

Catch up on the latest news about us:

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea – The New York Times
Alameda's Saildrones collect hurricane data - KTVU Fox 2
Record Setting: Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 Entered into Guinness Book
Saildrone Takes the Wraps Off its Voyager Autonomous Research Vehicle – TechCrunch
An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast – San Francisco Chronicle
The Quest for CO2: You Can’t Capture What You Can’t Find – Inside Unmanned Systems
Hacking the Anthropocene with Survivalist Robots [VIDEO] – Freethink
Here’s What Hurricane Fiona’s Surf Looked Like, from Atop a 50-foot Wave – The Washington Post
An Unprecedented View Inside a Hurricane – EOS
They Sailed Into a Hurricane, Now These Unmanned Saildrones are Seeking Data on Our Carbon Uptake – CNN
Saildrone Featured Videos Playlist

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

At Saildrone, we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that a diverse and inclusive team leads to innovation and better problem-solving. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, ethnicities, races, sexual orientations, disabilities, and backgrounds.

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.

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.

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.

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Last updated on Oct 31, 2023