Director of Field Operations (Unmanned Maritime Systems)

surge marine; Valkenburg; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Deployment package

Equity / Options

Flexible working

Job summary

Surge Marine seeks a Director of Field Operations to oversee international delivery, training, and operational support of unmanned maritime and underwater systems. You will deploy to customer facilities and naval bases across Europe, building trust with naval officers and ensuring fleet integration.

This role requires extensive field time, strategic liaison with customers, and turning operational lessons into product improvements for naval readiness.

Qualifications

• Commissioned naval officer background with 10+ years in an EU navy.
• English working language; Dutch preferred; other EU languages advantageous.
• Full availability for extended international deployments (up to 60% travel).
• Experience designing and delivering training for military personnel on complex systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead international training programmes at customer sites and deploy abroad to train naval personnel.
• Develop and deliver comprehensive training curricula including classroom, simulation, and at-sea training.
• Act as primary company representative during trials, IOC milestones, and fleet integration.
• Gather end-user feedback and feed it back to engineering as critical product intelligence.
• Support CONOPS, SOPs, and training manuals for safe, confident operation of systems.
• Coordinate deployment logistics, scheduling, and field support with PM and engineering.

Skills

Naval background

EU citizenship

Deployment readiness

Training & instruction

Operational leadership

Job description

Location: Valkenburg (next to Leiden), Netherlands Type: Full-time

JOIN THE SURGE

At Surge Marine, we don't build systems that sit in labs. We build the next generation of autonomous maritime and underwater platforms—and we need a Director of Field Operations who is ready to take them to sea, hand them to the fleet, and make navies trust them.

We are a lean, agile defence technology company growing fast. As our product portfolio moves from development into production and customer delivery, we need an operational leader who speaks the language of the fleet, thrives in deployed environments, and can ensure our systems are adopted, operated, and battle-ready in the hands of the navies we serve.

THE MISSION

As our Director of Field Operations, you are the bridge between our engineering excellence and real-world naval deployment. You will lead the international delivery, training, and operational support of Surge Marine's unmanned maritime systems—deploying abroad for extended periods to train naval personnel, support acceptance trials, and drive fleet integration from the customer's own waterfront.

This is not a role for someone who prefers the office. You will spend significant time—up to 60%—deployed at customer facilities and naval bases across Europe and beyond. You are comfortable operating independently in the field, building trust with naval officers, and feeding hard-won operational lessons back into our product development.

YOUR IMPACT

• Customer Training & Deployment: Lead international training programmes at customer sites; deploy abroad to train naval personnel in the operation, maintenance, and tactical employment of our autonomous maritime and underwater systems.
• Curricula & Instruction: Develop and deliver comprehensive training curricula—classroom instruction, simulation exercises, harbour acceptance testing, and at-sea operational training—tailored to each customer's force structure and doctrine.
• On-Site Representation: Act as the primary company representative during acceptance trials, IOC milestones, and fleet integration activities. You are the face of Surge Marine in the field.
• Operational Feedback Loop: Gather structured feedback from end users and channel it directly to engineering. You are the most important product intelligence source the company has.
• Documentation: Support the development of CONOPS, SOPs, and training manuals that enable navies to operate our systems confidently and safely.
• Operations Management: Coordinate delivery logistics, deployment scheduling, and field support in collaboration with programme management and engineering; track deployment milestones and field issues to ensure commitments are met.

WHO YOU ARE

You are a former naval officer who has made the decision to bring your operational credibility into the defence technology industry. You have stood watches, run exercises, and operated complex systems at sea. You know how navies think, how they adopt new capabilities, and what it takes to earn the trust of a fleet.

You are equally at ease giving a tactical briefing to a force commander and writing a lessons-learned report for our engineering team. You are self-sufficient in the field, calm under pressure, and energised by the challenge of being somewhere new every few months with a mission to accomplish.

THE ESSENTIALS

• Naval Background: Commissioned naval officer background with a minimum of 10 years of service in an EU Member State navy, including operational sea duty and command experience.
• EU Citizenship: EU citizenship is mandatory.
• Deployment Availability: Full availability for extended international deployments (up to 60% travel)—including consecutive weeks abroad at customer naval facilities is a core requirement of this role.
• Operational Experience: Direct operational experience with naval combat systems, underwater warfare, mine warfare, or unmanned/autonomous systems at tactical or operational level.
• Training & Instruction: Demonstrated ability to design and deliver training for military personnel on complex technical systems and their tactical employment.
• Languages: English is the working language—professional fluency is a must. Dutch is strongly preferred. Any additional EU language (French, Italian, German, Greek, etc.) is a significant advantage.
• Nationality: EU citizenship required. Dutch nationality is preferred; nationals of any other EU. Eligibility for national security vetting or NATO SECRET clearance is strongly preferred.

Nice to have: Submarine or MCM background Naval instructor / doctrine experience OT&E / IOC process familiarity Defence industry field services Export control knowledge STANAG / ATP familiarity

THE SURGE OFFER

We don't offer a desk and a salary review once a year. We offer operational impact at the frontier of European defence technology. Additionally:

• Competitive Salary: Negotiable based on naval seniority, operational background, and qualifications.
• Equity / Options: Own a piece of the company you help build. Your operational credibility is a founding asset.
• Deployment Package: All international travel, per diem, and extended deployment allowances fully covered.
• Flexible Working: Hybrid when at base—we measure outcomes, not office hours.
• Growth Path: Clear pathway into a senior operations leadership role as the customer base and fleet expand.
• Adventure: You will go places most defence industry professionals never see, doing work that matters to European security.

Contact: [e-mail]

Surge Marine B.V. is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals regardless of background.