Senior Quality Engineer – Maritime Autonomy (Equity)

Saildrone; Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 126,000 - 148,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO with holidays

Health coverage

Equity grants

401(k) retirement plan

Professional development reimbursement

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Saildrone, based in Alameda, CA, seeks a Senior Quality Engineer to join the Quality Operations team. You will champion product reliability, bridge design and sea-ready execution, and lead cross-functional CAPA efforts while scaling our QMS.

You will apply PFMEA, IQ/OQ/PQ, SPC, and DOE, interact with suppliers, and use Jira/NetSuite/Teamcenter to ensure traceability and continuous improvement across manufacturing and field deployment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace Engineering, or an equivalent technical field.
• 5 to 8+ years of hands-on quality engineering experience in a high-stakes, hardware-centric environment (e.g., Aerospace, Defense, Automotive, or Maritime/Robotics).
• Demonstrated proficiency in interpreting complex GD&T, reading technical drawings, and using CAD models to verify design intent.
• Proven experience utilizing quality toolkits, including PFMEA, process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), SPC, and DOE.
• Proficiency with Jira, NetSuite, Teamcenter, Fleetio, Tulip, or Weibull++ 2025.
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001 or AS9100 quality standards, including PPAP; familiarity with IPC-A-610 and J-STD-001 is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional teams in root-cause investigations, data analysis, and containment activities to disposition non-conforming materials (MRB) and execute permanent CAPA actions.
• Own and maintain PFMEAs, Control Plans, inspection methods, visual standards, and Quality Alerts to mitigate risks and ensure manufacturing consistency.
• Work closely with Supply Chain to manage vendor qualifications, execute FAI, and drive SCARs.
• Carry out day-to-day operations using technical and quality systems (Jira, NetSuite, Teamcenter, Fleetio, Tulip, Weibull++) to maintain hardware traceability and track quality metrics.
• Monitor field performance data to bridge offshore hardware behavior and design engineering, driving iterative product and reliability improvements.
• Adhere to and scale our QMS toward ISO 9001 and AS9100 through SOP creation, IQ/OQ/PQ, and internal audits.
• Utilize Lean and Six Sigma methodologies (SPC, DOE) alongside advanced data analytics to evaluate manufacturing metrics and present to senior management.

Skills

Root cause analysis

Quality engineering

Technical communication

CAD interpretation

GD&T interpretation

Statistical methods (SPC/DOE)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Jira

NetSuite

Teamcenter

Fleetio

Tulip

Weibull++

Job description

Saildrone, based in Alameda, CA, seeks a Senior Quality Engineer to join the Quality Operations team. You will champion product reliability, bridge design and sea-ready execution, and lead cross-functional CAPA efforts while scaling our QMS.

You will apply PFMEA, IQ/OQ/PQ, SPC, and DOE, interact with suppliers, and use Jira/NetSuite/Teamcenter to ensure traceability and continuous improvement across manufacturing and field deployment.