Technical Lead USV Automation

Darwin Recruitment; Den Haag; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Darwin Recruitment is seeking a Technical Lead for USV Automation in the Hague area. You will drive the automation platform for uncrewed surface vessels, spanning autopilot, propulsion control, and PLC-based automation.

The role blends hands-on engineering with people leadership in a hybrid setup. You will guide a multidisciplinary team, align technical decisions with product roadmaps, and ensure compliance with safety and marine standards while delivering scalable, reusable automation solutions

Qualifications

• Degree in Software/Electrical/Automation Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in industrial automation, embedded systems, or marine control systems.
• Hands-on PLC programming with CODESYS, e!COCKPIT, IEC 61131-3.
• Proven leadership in technical or team lead role.
• Familiarity with NMEA, CAN, Modbus, MQTT.
• Experience with Agile (Scrum/SAFe).

Responsibilities

• Lead development of Automation Platform for USVs across autopilot, propulsion, and PLC control.
• Guide sprint planning, code reviews, and technical decision-making.
• Coordinate with geographically distributed teams to deliver robust solutions.
• Ensure safety, cybersecurity, and marine standards across platforms.

Skills

Leadership

PLC programming

Agile methodologies

Communication

Team coordination

Embedded systems

Education

Bachelors in Software/Electrical/Automation Engineering

Tools

CODESYS

e!COCKPIT

IEC 61131-3

NMEA

CAN

Modbus

MQTT

Job description

Technical Lead - USV Automation

Location: Den Hag, Netherlands
Salary: Competitive
Industry: Maritime / Autonomous Systems

Overview of the role:
We are working with a well-established organisation operating at the forefront of maritime technology. They are looking to hire a Technical Lead to drive the development of an Automation Platform for Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs), across sectors including autopilot systems, propulsion control, and PLC-based vessel automation. This is a full-time, permanent hybrid position combining technical leadership with people management, guiding a multidisciplinary engineering team to deliver robust, scalable, and reusable automation solutions across multiple USV classes.

Requirements

Essential:

• Degree in Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automation Engineering, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in industrial automation, embedded systems, or marine control systems
• Strong hands-on experience with PLC programming (CODESYS, e!COCKPIT, IEC 61131-3)
• Proven leadership experience in a technical or team lead capacity
• Familiarity with communication protocols including NMEA, CAN, Modbus, and MQTT
• Experience with agile development methodologies (Scrum, SAFe, or similar)
• Strong communication and coordination skills with a proactive, ownership-driven mindset

Required / Highly Preferred:

• Experience aligning technical decisions with product roadmaps, working alongside Product Owners and Project Managers
• Ability to lead sprint planning, code reviews, and technical decision-making processes
• Experience coordinating with geographically distributed teamsTrack record of ensuring compliance with safety, cybersecurity, and marine standards
• Hands-on experience during testing, commissioning, or system integration

Beneficial:

• Experience collaborating with external suppliers to source and integrate software components
• Familiarity with ensuring platform scalability and reusability across different vessel classes or hardware platforms
• Background in continuous improvement of development processes and system architecture