Field Operations Engineer

Hydronet; Burlington (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Hydronet is seeking a Field Operations Engineer in Burlington, Massachusetts to lead the deployment and operation of underwater systems. This role involves hands-on testing, troubleshooting, and working closely with engineering. The ideal candidate should have over 3 years of experience operating marine systems, strong mechanical skills, and the ability to work in high-pressure environments. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, as this position requires frequent travel to remote test sites.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on experience operating marine systems at sea.
• Strong mechanical aptitude with hand tools and fabrication.
• Knowledge of Linux and basic debugging skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead field operations for underwater systems including testing and monitoring.
• Plan and execute field exercises from nearshore to offshore.
• Troubleshoot hardware and software issues at sea.

Skills

Hands-on experience with robotic, marine, or underwater systems

Mechanical aptitude and field repair skills

Linux and basic software debugging

Calm and resourceful under pressure

Adaptability in startup environments

Tools

Hand tools for fabrication and repair

Marine electronics

Job description

Hydronet is a deep-tech startup developing next-generation, AI-powered and software-defined underwater sensing, communication, networking, and analytics technology. We're on a mission to revolutionize connected underwater intelligence.

The Role

We're hiring a Field Operations Engineer to lead the deployment, testing, and at-sea operation of Hydronet's underwater systems. You'll own field execution end-to-end — planning exercises, leading on-water deployments, troubleshooting and fixing issues on the fly, and feeding hard-earned field insights back into engineering. This is a hands-on, get-your-feet-wet role for someone who thrives outside the lab and wants to see hardware they helped deploy come alive in real ocean conditions.

You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with hardware, software, and systems engineers, and serve as the connective tissue between our engineering team and the realities of operating in the ocean.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day field operations for Hydronet's underwater systems, including pre-mission preparation, launch and recovery, in-water testing, monitoring, data collection, and post-mission analysis.
• Plan and execute field exercises and deployments — from local nearshore tests to extended offshore campaigns — coordinating logistics, schedules, vessels, equipment, and personnel.
• Perform hands-on troubleshooting, repair, calibration, and maintenance of underwater hardware, electronics, and acoustic/optical front-ends in lab and field settings.
• Debug software, firmware, and system-level issues quickly and pragmatically while at sea — diagnosing problems on the fly and getting systems back online with minimal downtime.
• Drive continuous improvement of operating procedures, checklists, deployment kits, and field tooling to make at-sea operations safer, faster, and more repeatable.
• Capture detailed field data, write clear after-action reports, and feed observations back to engineering to influence next-generation designs and features.
• Support customer-facing exercises and demonstrations as Hydronet products move from prototype to product.
• Travel to coastal, offshore, and remote test sites as needed (estimated 25-30% of the time, with periods of more intense field activity around major exercises).

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on experience operating robotic, marine, or underwater systems at sea — in a commercial, defense, research, or offshore environment.
• Strong mechanical aptitude — comfortable with hand tools, fabrication, cable terminations, connector make-up, and field repair of electronic and mechanical assemblies.
• Working knowledge of Linux, command-line interfaces, and basic software/firmware debugging; comfortable reading logs and diagnosing system-level issues under pressure.
• Calm, resourceful, and decisive in high-pressure, time-constrained field environments — able to fix things on the fly with the parts and tools on hand.
• Comfortable operating in a startup environment — adaptable, self-directed, and willing to wear many hats.
• Willing and able to travel frequently and spend extended periods at sea or at remote test sites.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience deploying and operating AUVs, ROVs, gliders, surface vessels, moorings, or seafloor instrumentation.
• Background in underwater acoustics, sonar, hydrophones, transducers, or optical/VLC payloads.
• Familiarity with marine electronics, power systems, and subsea connectors (e.g., SubConn, Impulse).
• Small-boat handling experience, USCG licensing, dive certifications, or other maritime credentials.
• Experience writing test plans, SOPs, and after-action reports that close the loop with engineering.
• Prior experience at a deep-tech, defense-tech, or maritime startup.

Work Authorization

Due to the nature of our current projects, candidates must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents (green card holders).