Ocean Career: Saildrone Engineering Project Specialist

New Product Introduction Team Member

Saildrone is seeking a highly organized and passionate individual to join its New Product Introduction (NPI) team. In this role, you will lead and participate in a wide variety of projects focused on ensuring the successful execution of new products and changes into production. The Saildrone team is made up of extremely talented, hardworking, proactive, and hands-on individuals, operating in a very fast-paced and rewarding environment. Saildrone is looking to expand this team with like-minded individuals looking to make a mark in the ocean data industry.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities:

• NPI/ECO Ownership: Collaborate with the Senior NPI Engineer to create, maintain, and process NPI related ECOs and sustaining ECOs that affect part changes throughout the lifecycle of products. Partner with Production, Manufacturing Engineering, and Supply Chain to schedule and drive NPI builds.
• Process Improvement: Play a fundamental role in establishing and maintaining processes that enable Saildrone to manage, track, and implement rapid change accurately and efficiently
• Risk Management: Identify potential project risks and develop mitigation strategies. Proactively address issues and obstacles to minimize impact on project timelines and deliverables
• Documentation and Reporting: Maintain comprehensive project documentation, including project plans, status reports, and technical specifications. Provide regular updates to management and stakeholders on project status and performance
• Technical Expertise: Utilize your technical knowledge to identify and resolve engineering challenges. Provide guidance and support to engineering teams, ensuring technical solutions meet project requirements and quality standards.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with key cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and effective communication throughout the project lifecycle. Facilitate meetings, track action items, and manage stakeholder expectations
• BOM Management: Work closely with Mechanical Engineering, Project Management, and Production to create, structure and release Bill of Materials (BOM) for development builds, including part numbers, engineering change orders, related technical drawings, and documents
• Project Management: Lead and coordinate engineering projects, defining project scope, goals, and deliverables. Develop detailed project plans and schedules, track progress, and adjust as necessary to ensure successful completion

Required Skills and Experience

• Education: BS/BA degree in Engineering, Project Management, Operations, or related field
• Minimum 3 years supporting hardware NPI
• Solid understanding of product development lifecycles
• Experience with hardware configuration management
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities
• Strong planning, organizational, analytical, problem-solving, interpersonal, decision-making, oral, and written communication skills
• Comfort with the ambiguity, rapid changes, and process evolution that comes in a start-up environment. The ability to create structure where none exists
• Detail-oriented with a strong attention to detail, capable of meticulously reviewing and managing complex information and ensuring precision in every aspect of the job

Desired Skills and Experience

• Experience in BOMs management
• Experience with PLM tools (TeamCenterX preferred)
• Proficiency in project management software and tools (Jira preferred)
• Able to quickly learn new software, and stay up-to-date with internal tools
• Hands-on experience with rapid prototyping tools and processes, including prototyping software (e.g., NX) and hardware (e.g., 3D printers, mills, lathes), to quickly develop and iterate on product designs
• Ability to read technical drawings and CAD to understand part design and intended assembly
• Experience with autonomous systems or oceanographic technology
• Driven to learn and solve problems, self starter

Physical Requirements

• Work requires the ability to be stationary for extended periods of time
• Work requires the ability to transverse the manufacturing facility multiple times a day.
• Work requires the following motions: bending, twisting, squatting and reaching
• Work includes physically moving and lifting packages as needed

Location: This position is in Alameda, CA. Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda. Even our walls have good karma, our offices mix software development with a hardware production line in the former airplane hangar used to film 'The Matrix'.