Technical Operations

Ulysses; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Ulysses is hiring for a hands-on Tech Ops role to keep autonomous robots running in testing and field deployments. You will prepare systems for missions, run test campaigns, troubleshoot hardware and software in real time, and feed data back to improve future missions.

You will also help maintain HQ operations, organize parts, and document production progress for the next deployment. Expect travel 15–40% as missions vary seasonally.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with complex electromechanical systems and robotics.
• Ability to troubleshoot across mechanical, electrical, firmware, networking, and software domains.
• Comfortable working around water, boats, and in field environments.
• Excellent organizational skills to manage deployments with many parts.
• Practical fabrication and repair skills (soldering, crimping, basic machining).
• Familiarity with Linux and scripting for configuration, logs, and test automation.
• Strong documentation habits and clear communication.

Responsibilities

• Own field test operations: plan logistics, stage equipment, execute test procedures, ensure safe deployments.
• Keep robots mission-ready: assemble, integrate, maintain, document gaps, repair, and pre-deployment checkouts.
• Troubleshoot in the field under pressure with limited resources and timelines.
• Run data collection and post-mission debrief: ensure sensors log correctly, manage data offload, document anomalies.
• Support production at HQ: build, test, and ship vehicles between deployments, document processes.
• Keep the shop running: organize parts inventory, spares kits, tooling and facilities.
• Build and maintain operational infrastructure: test fixtures, cable harnesses, checklists, maintenance schedules.
• Develop and refine SOPs, checklists, and go/no-go criteria for reliable deployments.
• Coordinate across engineering teams: relay field feedback to EE, Mech, and Software.
• Manage field logistics: shipping, international deployments, site access, safety compliance.

Skills

Electromechanical systems

Troubleshooting

Field operations

Documentation

Soldering

Crimping

Machining

Linux

Python/Bash scripting

Travel readiness

Tools

Python

Shell scripting

Job description

About us

Ulysses is the ocean company. We design, manufacture, and operate autonomous vehicles for surface and subsea operations — taking on the most critical tasks across defense, commercial, and scientific missions. Our vertically integrated platform includes Mako, a modular AUV with 72-hour endurance and more onboard compute than any vehicle in its class; Leviathan, an autonomous surface vessel mothership; and Kraken, our automated launch‑and‑recovery system that closes the loop between surface and subsea with zero human intervention.

The ocean covers 71% of the Earth's surface and drives a $2.6 trillion global economy, yet it remains the least monitored domain on the planet. We're changing that — building autonomous systems that collapse the cost of ocean operations by orders of magnitude so that persistent coverage becomes the baseline, not the exception. We operate globally today across defense, ocean science, and commercial survey, working with partners including the U.S. Navy, the Government of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy.

Founded in 2023 and headquartered in San Francisco, Ulysses has raised $48 million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Booz Allen Ventures, Harpoon Ventures, Pebblebed, Lowercarbon Capital, and others. Our team is lean, hands‑on, and fast — we prototype in the shop, test on the water, and ship. If you want to work at the frontier, there's no frontier bigger than the ocean.

About the Role

We’re hiring Ulysses Tech Ops to be the people who keep our robots running, in testing and in the field. You’ll play a critical role in field operations: preparing systems for deployment, running test campaigns, troubleshooting hardware and software issues in real time, and bringing back the data and lessons that make the next mission better.

When not wrangling robots you’ll be keeping operations at Ulysses HQ running smooth helping to keep parts and facilities organised, working to accelerate and document the production of our robots, and getting ready for the next mission.

This is a role with international travel. You’ll split time between our San Francisco workshop and field sites, with travel that varies seasonally based on our test and deployment schedule.

The right candidate is resourceful, calm under pressure, and obsessively organized. You don’t always need to be told what to do next, you’ve figured it out and done it.

What You’ll Do

• Own field test operations: plan logistics, stage equipment, execute test procedures, and ensure every deployment runs safely and on schedule
• Keep robots mission‑ready: perform hands‑on assembly, integration, maintenance, fill documentation gaps, repair, and pre‑deployment checkouts of robotic systems and subsystems
• Troubleshoot under pressure: diagnose and fix mechanical, electrical, and software issues in the field—often with limited resources and tight timelines
• Run data collection and post‑mission debrief: ensure sensors are logging correctly, manage data offload, and document anomalies, failures, and lessons learned
• Support production at HQ: help build, test, and ship vehicles between deployments, and contribute to making our build process faster and better documented
• Keep the shop running: organize parts inventory, spares kits, tooling, and facilities so the team can move quickly when a mission comes up
• Build and maintain operational infrastructure: test fixtures, cable harnesses, deployment checklists, maintenance schedules, and field tool inventory
• Develop and improve operational processes: write and refine SOPs, pre‑mission checklists, and go/no‑go criteria so deployments get more reliable over time
• Coordinate across engineering teams: relay field feedback to EE, Mech, and Software so real‑world performance drives development priorities
• Manage field logistics: shipping, customs for international deployments, site access, safety compliance, and coordination with vessel operators and third‑party partners

About You

You're the kind of person who'd rather be elbow‑deep in a system than sitting in a meeting about one. You take pride in things working, and you take it personally when they don't. You're comfortable being the most hands‑on person in the room and the most organized.

Requirements

• Hands‑on experience with complex electromechanical systems — ideally robots, AUVs, ROVs, marine hardware, or similar platforms
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot across domains: mechanical, electrical, firmware, networking, and software
• Comfortable working in and around the water, on boats, and in uncontrolled field environments
• Strong organizational skills: you can manage a deployment with dozens of moving parts and nothing falls through the cracks
• Practical fabrication and repair skills: soldering, crimping, basic machining, hand and power tools, epoxy/potting, cable assembly
• Familiarity with Linux, command‑line tools, and basic scripting (Python or Bash) for system configuration, log analysis, and test automation
• Excellent written documentation habits — you write things down the first time, not after the third failure
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel domestically and internationally as the field schedule requires (expect ~15–40% travel, seasonally variable)

Nice‑to‑Haves

• Boating Experience, Boaters Card, Familarity with loading/unloading, maritime radio operations etc. (Would be really nice if you have this!)
• Experience with subsea systems, underwater connectors, pressure housings, or marine deployment operations
• Background in robotics field testing, integration and test (I&T), or flight/mission operations
• Familiarity with sensor/navigation systems integration + operation (INS, DVL, USBL, SSS, MBES, etc.)
• Small boat handling, dive certification, or offshore safety training
• Experience building out operational processes from scratch at an early‑stage company