On-Water Field Test Engineer - Autonomous Systems

Telemetry Today LLC; San Diego, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Intuition is seeking a Field Test Engineer for Autonomous Systems to lead on-water testing of autonomous surface vehicles, ensuring readiness for real-world deployment. You will spend significant time aboard vessels, execute test events, collect data, and produce actionable findings for the engineering team, bridging R&D and field operations.

The role requires travel and a US security clearance process as applicable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a relevant engineering discipline (e.g., Mechanical, Electrical, Ocean, Systems), Computer Science, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 3+ years of experience in test, integration, or field operations of complex electro-mechanical or software-intensive systems.
• Hands-on experience testing autonomous or unmanned systems in a relevant domain (air, ground, or sea).
• Comfort working on vessels offshore for extended periods, in potentially harsh conditions.
• Experience with agile program management tooling such as Atlassian Jira.
• Strong technical writing skills, with the ability to draft clear test reports and after action reports.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 30% of the time, including offshore.
• U.S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.
• Nice-to-have: experience with USVs/UUVs; on-deck maritime ops; USCG credentials.

Responsibilities

• Execute on-water test events for autonomous surface vehicles, participating in sorties aboard test and chase vessels.
• Support pre-underway system checkouts, launch and recovery operations, and pier-side preparation of test vessels.
• Operate and monitor autonomy systems during test events, recording test cards and procedures with safety on deck.
• Collect, manage, and perform first-pass analysis of test data to ensure data quality for each sortie.
• Identify, document, and triage system discrepancies using Jira, collaborating with autonomy and hardware teams.
• Contribute to test plans, procedures, and readiness reviews under direction of the Test & Evaluation Director.
• Draft clear after-action and test reports detailing results, observations, and recommendations.
• Support HITL and simulation-based testing between on-water events.

Skills

Test engineering

Autonomous systems

Technical writing

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

Jira

Job description

Applied Intuition is seeking a Field Test Engineer for Autonomous Systems to lead on-water testing of autonomous surface vehicles, ensuring readiness for real-world deployment. You will spend significant time aboard vessels, execute test events, collect data, and produce actionable findings for the engineering team, bridging R&D and field operations.

The role requires travel and a US security clearance process as applicable.