Job Overview

We are seeking an FD Build Engineer to join our Forward Deployed Engineering team. You will have a strong mechanical or electrical background and be responsible for building, integrating, validating, and deploying the prototype hardware that brings our technology from the lab to the fleet.

This is not a traditional technician role. You will not always be building to print, and you will not be waiting for a finished design to hand you work. You will sit alongside the engineers inventing new capability for our Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASVs), bring operational reality into the design before it is frozen, build and prove the hardware, define how it gets installed and maintained, and then go to the waterfront with it. Time is split between the lab, fabrication spaces, and the water.

You will report to Forward Deployed Engineering Director and be embedded with Forward Deployed Hardware Engineers, who set design intent and priorities. Some tasks will come with clear direction. Others will come as a problem and a deadline, and you will be expected to figure out the approach, make the call on how to build it, and own the result. Technical direction stays with the engineers; execution is yours. We are looking for someone who takes direction well and leads when the situation needs it.

You will embed in a product pod supporting multiple Forward Deployed Hardware Engineers, going deep on forward deployed projects and rotating between pods as program demand shifts. This role requires significant travel, typically 50–70%, to test sites and deployment locations, and long hours are common, especially during demos and deployments.

Responsibilities

• Embed within a product pod supporting multiple Forward Deployed Hardware Engineers, focused on forward deployed projects and rotating between pods as demand requires

• Own execution of integration plans on the operational system. Take a task or a problem from an FDE hardware engineer, scope it, source it, build it, prove it, and close it out with documentation. Build, integrate, and modify prototype mechanical and electrical hardware from drawings, CAD models, and engineering sketches, with an emphasis on speed to test. Where direction is incomplete, propose the approach, make the build decisions within the engineer's design intent, and escalate design-level questions

• Fabricate brackets, fixtures, jigs, and one-off components using hand tools, shop equipment, sheet metal, and 3D printing; build wiring harnesses and cabling for the marine environment; and work with suppliers and fabrication shops for fast turnarounds of custom components and harnesses

• Lead the organization and day-to-day use of lab and shop spaces — keeping tools, equipment, and inventory in order, setting up workspaces for active builds, and training engineers and teammates on safe, effective use of the space

• Work with other engineering and field teams to troubleshoot prototype hardware and find issues, from lab bring-up through dockside and sea trials to on-site deployment.[MR3] Advise engineering teams on design updates that make the build more efficient, practical, and serviceable.

• Lead hardware and subsystem integration efforts across CONUS and OCONUS locations. Validate engineering changes prior to wider release and support root cause investigations. Serve as the on-site engineering point of contact during deployment, providing technical support and communicating findings back to the engineering team.

• Bring operational and maintenance experience into early requirements and design discussions — what survives the marine environment, what a maintainer can service on a pitching deck, and what fails after 200 hours at sea — and feed design-for-assembly, serviceability, and deployment recommendations back to engineering

• Write installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting procedures for prototypes that don't have any yet, partnering with technical writing. For prototypes entering sustainment, propose maintenance intervals, consumables, spares lists, and special tooling, support handoff to Mission Support, and train operators, field service representatives, and other technicians on the systems you build

Qualifications

• Associate degree or bachelor's in a technical field, military technical training, trade certification, or equivalent hands-on experience

• Hands-on experience building, testing, or maintaining integrated electromechanical systems, preferably in fielded or mission-critical environments

• Ability to read and work from engineering drawings, CAD models, wiring diagrams, and electrical schematics

• Hands-on expertise in mechanical assembly and fabrication (hand and power tools, sheet metal, 3D printing, basic machining)

• Hands-on expertise in electrical integration (harness construction, soldering and crimping, connector selection, wire sizing, voltage drop, DC power distribution, grounding and bonding)

• Hands-on expertise in troubleshooting with electrical test equipment (multimeters, oscilloscopes)

• Demonstrated ownership of a build, integration, or test effort from scoping through close-out, with a track record of working through ambiguous tasks with limited oversight

• Ability to run tests and root cause investigations, and to write up data, findings, and procedures clearly enough that an engineer, writer, or operator can act on them

• Comfortable both taking direction from engineers and leading a task or small effort when the situation calls for it

• Willingness to work in dynamic, hands-on environments, including on and near the water, and to travel up to 50-70%

• Strong sense of ownership and bias for action

Preferred Qualifications:

• Military or commercial marine maintenance background — Navy or Coast Guard engineering rating, small craft maintenance, or comparable

• Marine systems experience (propulsion, steering and hydraulics, through-hulls and sealing, corrosion control and bonding, marine DC electrical)

• Experience working with autonomous systems, drones, or other robotic platforms

• Familiarity with maritime environments or naval platforms

• Comfort with a Linux command line and basic IP network troubleshooting

• Composites or fiberglass layup and repair experience

• Boat handling experience, USCG license, or crane, forklift, and rigging qualifications

• Exposure to ruggedized or IP-rated hardware

Physical Demands Preferred

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer

• Occasional standing and walking within the office

Time Off: Generous PTO and Holidays

Retirement Plan: 401(k) plan with company match