Senior USV Autonomy Engineer — AI-Driven Maritime

Blue Ops - A Red Cat Company; West Palm Beach (FL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Ops is seeking a Senior USV Autonomy Engineer (USA) to lead the design, integration, deployment, and evolution of autonomy capabilities for Uncrewed Surface Vessels. You will oversee autonomy software and hardware integration, sensor fusion, mission planning, control, and field testing.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and safe autonomy systems supporting maritime, defense, and commercial programs; drive toward AI-enabled, fully autonomous maritime

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical, Mechanical, or Marine Engineering from an ABET-accredited university.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in autonomy, robotics, or intelligent systems engineering.
• Proficiency in C++, Python, and robotics simulation environments such as ROS, Gazebo, and SIL/HIL.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally for integration, sea trials, and customer support.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and validate autonomous behaviors for USV platforms.
• Develop sensor-driven situational awareness capabilities for real-time perception, obstacle avoidance, and decision‑making.
• Adapt and optimize autonomy stacks for U.S. regulatory, environmental, and safety requirements.
• Lead installation, calibration, and testing of autonomy systems on production and demonstration vessels.
• Support simulation‑based development, software architecture design, and scalability across multiple platforms.
• Serve as the technical liaison between autonomy developers, marine engineering teams, systems integrators, and field operations.
• Provide mentorship and training to engineering teams on installation, operation, and troubleshooting.
• Advance development of COLREG‑compliant navigation and collision‑avoidance behaviors.
• Ensure compliance with ITAR/EAR, cybersecurity, and U.S. defense technology transfer regulations.

Skills

C++

Python

ROS

Gazebo

SIL/HIL

Education

ABET-accredited degree in Robotics/CS/EE/Mech/Nav Eng

Tools

Robotics simulation tools

ROS

Gazebo

Job description

Blue Ops is seeking a Senior USV Autonomy Engineer (USA) to lead the design, integration, deployment, and evolution of autonomy capabilities for Uncrewed Surface Vessels. You will oversee autonomy software and hardware integration, sensor fusion, mission planning, control, and field testing.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and safe autonomy systems supporting maritime, defense, and commercial programs; drive toward AI-enabled, fully autonomous maritime