Senior USV Engineer, Karlskrona Lead

Bifrost Defence A/S; Karlskrona kommun; On-site; SEK 700,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hands-on work

Team leadership

Direct collaboration

Competitive salary

Job summary

Marine Alpha seeks a hands-on marine engineer to lead the Karlskrona site on-site, initially 3 days per week with growth to full-time as workload grows.

You'll build, wire, install, calibrate and test the vessel platform, mentor students, and coordinate with Munich team, while working across mechanical, electrical and software domains to ship real hardware.

Qualifications

• Hands-on marine engineering experience is prioritized.
• Solid experience with autonomous systems, robotics, or hardware platforms.
• Good network in the Karlskrona area and ability to operate locally.
• Ability to own and guide a small growing team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Karlskrona site's engineering output end to end.
• Build, wire, install, calibrate and test the vessel platform hands-on.
• Coordinate with the Munich team to align platforms across sites.
• Mentor and coordinate students working on Marine Alpha's platforms.
• Shape and grow the local team as it expands.

Skills

Marine engineering

Autonomous systems

Robotics

Team leadership

Mentoring students

Job description

Marine Alpha develops next-generation unmanned surface vessels (USVs) that combine robust

Build what the sea hasn't seen yet.

Marine Alpha develops next-generation unmanned surface vessels (USVs) that combine robust

platform design with advanced autonomy, sensing and mission systems. Our approach is built around standardised components, rigorous engineering and open interfaces, creating platforms that can evolve as technology and mission needs evolve. Part of the team is based in Munich, with development in Karlskrona happening in close collaboration with the Marine Technology Centre of Sweden.

This role starts at 3 days/week. As our on-site presence and workload in Karlskrona grow, we expect the role to grow into a full-time position alongside it.

We are looking for someone to lead our local development effort on-site, a role where you're building, wrenching and testing the platform yourself, day to day, while guiding and growing the team of students working with us there.

This is a hands-on engineering role first, leadership second. We need someone who builds, screws things together, wires them up, and tests them on the water themselves not someone directing others to do it. You'll be close to the platform at every stage: mechanical integration, electrical systems, autopilot and navigation, mission testing.

Tasks

• Build, wire, install, calibrate and test the vessel platform yourself, hands-on.
• Own the Karlskrona site's engineering output end to end.
• Coordinate closely with the team in Munich to keep the platform aligned across sites.
• Guide and coordinate the students working on Marine Alpha's platforms.
• Work close to the technology, decisions and people building Marine Alpha.
• Build and shape the local team as it grows

Requirements

• Genuine, hands-on marine engineering experience is what we're prioritising for this role above all else – it's the background we most want to bring into the team, and the closer your experience is to it, the better
• Solid industry experience with autonomous systems, robotics, or comparable hardware platforms
• A good network in the Karlskrona area – comfortable operating within the local ecosystem
• Confidence taking ownership of a small, growing team and its day-to-day direction
• Comfortable moving between mechanical, electrical and software domains as the project demands
• Ability to guide and mentor working students and thesis candidates

Benefits

• Real technology. Work with real vessel platforms, data and engineering challenges.
• Real ownership. Lead a growing team and shape how the Karlskrona site develops.
• Direct collaboration. Work directly with the founding engineers and decision makers.
• Competitive salary, reflecting the seniority and responsibility of the role.
• Real impact. Shape the technology, the team and the future of Marine Alpha.

If you want to build technology that leaves the screen, meets the physical world and has to perform when it matters – with your own hands, not just on paper – come build with us.