Uncrewed Vessel Operator

Jobtailor; Leesburg (VA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor seeks a UxS Operator to supervise semi-autonomous vessel operations from a Remote Operating Center or on board. You will oversee navigation safety, telemetry stability, and data acquisition, while coordinating with a watch supervisor to troubleshoot issues.

Responsibilities include maintaining logs, ensuring proper COLREGs implementation, and supporting missions that require 30+ days at sea with interagency collaboration.

Qualifications

• Associate’s Degree or higher in Marine Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering or Electrical Engineering.
• Experience with USVs, UUVs or underwater gliders is desired.
• Ability to lift >45 lb, climb ladders, and work in confined spaces.
• Yearly travel 50% or more.
• Experience with maritime telemetry systems and RF communications.

Responsibilities

• Stand pilot watches and maintain safety of the public and vessel during semi-autonomous operations.
• Manage 8–12 hour watches from Remote Operating Center or host vessel.
• Ensure safe navigation and situational awareness of the vehicle.
• Monitor telemetry, data acquisition and system stability; troubleshoot issues.
• Record keeping during watches and diagnostic scenarios.

Skills

Naval operations

Seamanship

COLREGs knowledge

Telemetry systems

GNSS/INS

USVs/UUVs experience

Data acquisition

Sensor platforms

Education

Marine Technology

Mechanical Engineering

Software Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Tools

Satellite communication

AIS/ECIDIS/LiDAR/RADAR

Job description

Responsibilities

• The primary duty of a UxS Operator is to stand pilot watches with the responsibility of maintaining the safety of the public and of the vessel while at sea under semi‑autonomous operations.
• 8‑12hr night or day watches based in a regional Remote Operating Center, or from a host vessel at sea.
• Ensure the safety of navigation and situational awareness of the vehicle during operations.
• Additional duties include monitoring vessel status feedback, telemetry stability and configuration, and basic data acquisition control.
• Operators are responsible for troubleshooting technical and software issues, and relaying that information to the watch supervisor.
• Proper record keeping during watches and in diagnostic scenarios.

Requirements

• Associate’s Degree or higher in at least one of the following: Marine Technology, Marine Science, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering.
• Support operations at sea on board NOAA vessels, or at a regional remote operation center, for up to 30 consecutive days at a time.
• Ability to lift >45 lb. objects, climb ladders, and work in confined spaces.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively in an interagency atmosphere.
• Yearly travel 50% or more.
• Experience operating USVs, UUVs, or underwater gliders is desired.
• Experience in boat handling and seamanship: licensed boater or captain is desired.
• Experience implementing COLREGs into the safety of navigation of UxS.
• Experience with operating satellite, cellular, and RF telemetry systems.
• Experience with maritime situational awareness using AIS, FLIR, ECDIS, LiDAR, and RADAR.
• Experience with data acquisition using multibeam sonars, side scan sonars, and acoustic systems is desired.
• Experience with marine positioning systems using GNSS, INS/IMU, or USBL.