Director, Global Fleet Service — Autonomous Marine Tech

Saildrone; Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 247,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time Off (PTO) and holidays

Health Coverage (Medical, Dental, VIsn

401(k) with company match

Job summary

Saildrone seeks a Director, Fleet Service, to lead its global field service operations, ensuring maximum uptime for autonomous USVs. You will scale a diverse team, coordinate with Engineering, Logistics, and Program Management, and drive rapid incident response across multiple fleets.

You will shape technician development, capture field data for future vehicle design, and ensure safety, compliance, and performance across international deployments. This leadership role anchors mission success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, Robotics) or related discipline.
• 10+ years of operational experience leading complex technical services in shipyards, heavy industrial settings, offshore energy, aerospace, or global maritime environments.
• 5+ years of engineering leadership with a proven track record managing teams supporting complex hardware, mechanical, or autonomous systems.
• Ability to clearly communicate complex technical specifics to cross functional partners and executive leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead, scale, and manage a high performing team of global field service personnel to achieve 24/7 mission success, prioritizing timely incident response across multiple fleets.
• Serve as the primary leadership liaison between field operations and internal stakeholders including Engineering, Logistics, Quality, Safety, and Program Management departments.
• Oversee resource allocation and labor scheduling, strategically distributing personnel and contractors across international deployment hubs to ensure mission readiness.
• Design scalable pathways that accelerate early‑stage technician development through strategic leadership roles.
• Establish feedback loops to capture field data that influences future‑state vehicle design for manufacturability.
• Optimize enterprise asset and project platforms including Fleetio, NetSuite, Harvest, Jira, and Confluence.
• Enforce corporate compliance with safety standard operating procedures, job hazard analyses, and maritime regulations.
• Establish a culture of accountability, ownership, and engineering excellence, building and scaling a world‑class team capable of operating defense‑grade autonomous systems at scale.
• Meet commitments to build a high‑performing team by recruiting and mentoring talent for growth, fostering a culture of rapid iteration, technical reliability, and operational readiness.
• Perform all responsibilities in accordance with company values, safety expectations, quality standards, and ethical guidelines.

Skills

Leadership

Operational Excellence

Cross-functional Collaboration

Mentoring/Team Development

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Engineering

Tools

Fleetio

NetSuite

Harvest

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Saildrone seeks a Director, Fleet Service, to lead its global field service operations, ensuring maximum uptime for autonomous USVs. You will scale a diverse team, coordinate with Engineering, Logistics, and Program Management, and drive rapid incident response across multiple fleets.

You will shape technician development, capture field data for future vehicle design, and ensure safety, compliance, and performance across international deployments. This leadership role anchors mission success.