Chief Maritime Autonomy Architect

Drive Capital; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Unlimited PTO

Equity package

Work-from-home stipend

Relocation assistance

Job summary

HavocAI in the Greater Boston area seeks a Director of Autonomy to lead the technical direction and growth of its autonomy organization. You will guide perception, planning, and control for autonomous maritime vehicles, coordinating across multiple engineering teams to move capabilities from concept to deployed mission capability.

The role requires breadth and depth in robotics, perception, motion planning, and fielded systems, with responsibilities in mentorship, architecture, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Robotics, CS, Electrical/Mechanical/AE or related field.
• 10+ years in robotics, autonomy, unmanned/maritime systems or defense tech.
• Proven leadership of engineering teams and architecture decisions.
• Strong systems engineering judgment and cross-team collaboration.
• Experience bringing autonomous systems from prototype to fielded deployment.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive autonomy architecture across perception, planning, and control.
• Lead teams of autonomy, robotics, perception, planning, and controls engineers.
• Ensure real-world maritime operation readiness and field readiness.
• Collaborate with product, hardware, and operations for robust deployments.
• Mentor senior engineers and set engineering standards.

Skills

Robotics

Autonomy

Leadership

Communication

Perception

Planning

Controls

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Mentorship

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Tools

ROS2

DDS

MOOS-IvP

Job description

HavocAI in the Greater Boston area seeks a Director of Autonomy to lead the technical direction and growth of its autonomy organization. You will guide perception, planning, and control for autonomous maritime vehicles, coordinating across multiple engineering teams to move capabilities from concept to deployed mission capability.

The role requires breadth and depth in robotics, perception, motion planning, and fielded systems, with responsibilities in mentorship, architecture, and