Mission Operations Sustainment Engineer, MUSV

About the Role

Saronic Technologies is a leader in revolutionizing autonomy at sea, dedicated to developing state-of-the-art solutions that enhance maritime operations through autonomous and intelligent platforms.

As a Sustainment Engineer for Saronic's Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) platforms, you will support the propulsion, electrical, hydraulic, and hull systems that keep these autonomous vessels mission-ready. This role involves diagnosing and repairing faults in the field, assisting in training military technicians, and contributing field findings to product development for enhanced reliability. The ideal candidate has a foundational marine or mechanical engineering background, comfort with autonomous systems, and strong communication skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Vessel Maintenance & Repair

• Assist with scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on USV platforms (propulsion, electrical, hydraulic, and hull systems) in shore-based and forward-deployed environments.

• Diagnose and troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and software-interfaced system faults, and support repairs to restore mission readiness within operational timelines.

• Conduct pre- and post-mission inspections (dockside and waterborne) to verify system integrity, watertight/structural condition, and safety.

• Maintain maintenance logs, technical records, and configuration status in accordance with class society guidance and DoD material condition standards.

• Support spare parts inventory management, technical documentation, and OEM/vendor coordination for critical propulsion, power, and control components.

• Assist in developing and maintaining maintenance SOPs, technical manuals, troubleshooting guides, and casualty/emergency repair procedures.

• Support coordination with operators on waterspace deconfliction, safety boat integration, and range safety compliance during maintenance test runs and sea trials.

• Training & Technician Development

• Support the development and delivery of platform maintenance training courses including: Technician Fundamentals, Preventive Maintenance, Corrective Maintenance & Troubleshooting, and Advanced Systems Repair.

• Assist in training and qualifying military personnel on platform-specific maintenance procedures.

• Help build and run train-the-trainer programs to establish long-term organic military maintenance capability.

• Product Development & Stakeholder Engagement

• Liaise between Mission Operations/Maintenance and Saronic's Product and Engineering teams to ensure field reliability data informs design decisions.

• Capture and synthesize failure modes, MTBF/MTTR data, and technician feedback from testing and deployments to refine requirements and system maintainability.

• Support engagements with government customers and DoD program offices on maintenance status and readiness.

• Build reporting and visualization tools to communicate fleet health, maintenance backlog, system performance, and readiness risk.

• Represent Mission Operations/Maintenance at PDRs, IDRs, and CDRs, contributing subject-matter input on reliability and maintainability.

• Assist in planning and conducting site surveys to assess port infrastructure, maintenance facility requirements, tooling, and logistics constraints.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Bachelor's degree in marine engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field, or equivalent operational experience.
• Minimum: valid U.S. Coast Guard Third Assistant Engineer license (unlimited horsepower, oceans) with an unrestricted STCW endorsement as Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch (OICEW), STCW Regulation III/1.
• Experience maintaining marine propulsion, electrical, or mechanical systems aboard vessels in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, or Special Operations.
• Working knowledge of diesel and/or electric propulsion systems, hydraulics, marine electrical systems, and shipboard control/automation systems.
• Willingness and aptitude to deliver technical maintenance training.
• Strong diagnostic and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Up to 75% travel required.

Qualifications (Plus)

• Experience maintaining unmanned surface vessels (USVs), autonomous systems, or remotely operated maritime platforms.
• Familiarity with GPS-denied or communications-degraded system architectures.
• Prior SOF experience or work with DoD or other government agencies.
• Possess an active clearance or have the ability to obtain one.

Physical Demands

• Ability to swim and tread water; ability to certify as fit for duty.
• Regularly lift, push, and carry up to 50 lbs.
• Work in confined and elevated spaces.
• Operate in daylight, low-light, and night conditions.
• Perform physically demanding work for up to 12 hours a day.
• Climb and maintain balance on ladders, platforms, and scaffolding.
• Stand and walk for up to 10 hours a day over varied and uneven terrain.
• Work in marine environments including sun, wind, rain, cold, and saltwater spray for extended periods.
• Work in hot and humid conditions.
• Detect alarms, verbal instructions, and hazards in high-noise environments.
• Wear and maintain PPE.