Field Test Engineering Lead

Position Summary

Blue Ops designs, builds, and fields autonomous unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for defense and national security customers. We are seeking a hands-on field engineer who can operate in two closely coupled capacities: as a Field Test Engineer who plans, instruments, executes, and reports on at-sea and shoreside test events, and as an Engineering Technician Lead who provides technical direction to the technician workforce responsible for building, integrating, commissioning, maintaining, and repairing the fleet.

This is a dual-purpose role for someone who is equally comfortable authoring a test plan and running the data reduction behind it and standing in the bilge at 0500 with a multimeter tracing an intermittent NMEA 2000 fault before the boat launches. We are looking for the kind of field engineer who works independently at customer, OEM, and partner sites, drives problems through to full resolution rather than handing them off, documents what was done so the next person can repeat it, and picks up unfamiliar hardware and software platforms quickly. The successful candidate is the person who makes test events happen on schedule, with instrumented vessels, complete data, and a technician team that knows exactly what it is doing and why.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Technician Leadership

• Lead, schedule, and mentor a team of engineering technicians across vessel build, integration, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair activities at multiple Florida sites.

• Provide technical direction to engineering technicians and determine priorities, methods, and standards for execution of work.
• Own the daily work plan for the technician team: assign tasks, sequence work against test and delivery schedules, verify quality of completed work, and escalate resource and schedule risk early.
• Conduct performance reviews for assigned technician personnel, set development goals, and support hiring and onboarding of new technicians.
• Develop and approve engineering test procedures, acceptance criteria, and corrective actions.
• Establish and enforce shop and field standards for workmanship, including marine electrical practice, connectorization and strain relief, sealing and corrosion control, torque and fastener control, and cable routing and labeling.
• Direct installation, integration, and checkout of vessel systems: propulsion and drivetrain, steering and actuation, autopilot and flight controller hardware, power distribution, NMEA 2000 and CAN networks, RF and SATCOM equipment, radar, AIS, EO/IR, and onboard compute.
• Develop and maintain build travelers, wiring diagrams, integration checklists, pre-operation and post-operation checkout procedures, calibration and configuration instructions, and maintenance documentation; drive their consistent use in the field.
• Lead troubleshooting of complex, cross-domain faults - mechanical, electrical, communications network, RF, sensor, power, wiring, and software - using disciplined root-cause analysis rather than parts swapping, and drive each issue through to full resolution.
• Manage tooling, test equipment, calibration, spares, and consumables across sites; forecast material needs against the test and delivery schedule.
• Own shop and on-water safety practice for technician activities, including lockout/tagout, lifting and launch/recovery operations, battery and fuel handling, and personal protective equipment.
• Deliver hands-on technical training to technicians, operators, and end users covering safe operation, troubleshooting, and long-term system reliability, and build the written knowledge base so capability is not resident in a single person.

Cross-Cutting

• Serve as the connective tissue between engineering, operations, and production - translating engineering intent into executable field work and field reality back into engineering requirements.
• Support customer site visits, government test events, and OCONUS deployments as the on-site technical authority for vessel readiness and test execution, representing Blue Ops professionally to customers, partners, and vendors.
• Coordinate directly with OEMs, suppliers, and integration partners on component failures, warranty actions, firmware issues, and design feedback.
• Contribute to proposals, statements of work, test cost and schedule estimates, and program reviews.
• Support compliance with applicable export control (ITAR/EAR), security, and quality requirements.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required. Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Ocean, Systems, or Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline, preferred.
• Five or more years of hands-on experience in field service, field testing, systems integration, or technical operations of complex electronic and electromechanical systems; ten or more years preferred. Marine, unmanned systems, aerospace, or defense experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience diagnosing hardware, software, communications network, sensor, power, wiring, and system-integration failures using structured troubleshooting and root-cause analysis.
• Demonstrated experience planning and executing formal test, commissioning, or acceptance events, including writing procedures and reporting results to a technical audience.

• Demonstrated experience leading, directing, or supervising technicians, installers, mechanics, or a field crew.
• Strong practical skills across mechanical assembly, marine and low-voltage DC electrical work, wiring and connectorization, networked electronics, and use of hand tools, power tools, and diagnostic equipment including multimeters and oscilloscopes.
• Working proficiency in data analysis and scripting (Python, MATLAB, or equivalent) sufficient to reduce and interpret field data independently, or demonstrated ability and willingness to develop it.
• Proven ability to operate independently in high-pressure field environments, manage competing priorities and travel, and communicate status clearly to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new hardware and software platforms rapidly and become the resident expert on them.
• Comfort working on and around small vessels in an open-ocean and coastal environment, including extended days underway.
• Excellent written communication - this role produces documents that customers and government stakeholders read.
• Valid U.S. driver's license; ability to tow and launch trailered vessels or willingness to be trained and qualified.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Department of Defense SECRET security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship, and must successfully pass a pre-employment background check and drug screening.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active or current DoD SECRET (or higher) security clearance.
• Ten or more years of progressive field service, marine electronics, or field engineering experience.
• Manufacturer or OEM technical certifications in marine electronics, navigation, satellite communications, or sensor products (for example Garmin, Airmar, Intellian VSAT/FBB/TVRO, GOST, or comparable programs).
• Experience providing field engineering or service support at OEM, boatbuilder, dealer, and end-customer locations, including direct coordination with engineering and product teams.
• Direct experience with unmanned surface, underwater, ground, or air vehicles, particularly autonomy and remote-operations testing.
• Hands-on experience building, configuring, and troubleshooting UAV, multirotor, or FPV platforms - flight controllers, ESCs, motors, GPS, radio and telemetry links, video, sensors, and power distribution.
• Experience with ArduPilot/ArduRover, PX4, MAVLink, or comparable autopilot ecosystems, including parameter tuning and log analysis.
• Familiarity with marine electronics and networks: NMEA 2000/CAN, marine radar, AIS, EO/IR cameras, GNSS/INS, and SATCOM including Starlink maritime.
• Experience with marine propulsion, steering, and vessel-control systems - outboards, sterndrives, and associated controls, actuation, and diagnostics.
• Experience with COLREGS-based navigation testing, collision and obstacle avoidance evaluation, or maritime autonomy assessment.
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• Precision mechanical or structural fabrication background - aerostructures, machining, fitting, or fixture work with dimensional verification.
• USCG credential, professional mariner experience, or small-boat operator qualification; Navy, Coast Guard, or other maritime military background.
• Experience with CAD, engineering drawing practice, and configuration management.
• Prior experience supporting OCONUS deployments or expeditionary field operations.

Travel, Location and Schedule

• Through the end of the current calendar year, this position will work across Blue Ops facilities and operating areas in West Palm Beach, Stuart, and Fort Pierce, Florida, with routine movement between sites.
• Effective at the start of the following calendar year, Fort Pierce, Florida is the permanent duty location for this role.
• Travel is expected up to 50%, including CONUS customer sites, government test ranges, and OCONUS locations. Travel is often driven by test and demonstration schedules and can be scheduled on short notice.
• Test operations are schedule- and weather-driven. Early starts, extended days, and occasional weekend or holiday work are expected around test windows, deliveries, and demonstrations.
• A valid U.S. passport, or the ability to obtain one, is required.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Must be able to walk, stand, and navigate large indoor and outdoor facilities for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift, carry, and move materials and equipment weighing up to 25 lbs on a regular basis.
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required in designated areas or when performing specific tasks, in accordance with safety protocols and company policy.
• May be required to climb ladders, stoop, kneel, or crouch during inspections, maintenance walk-throughs, or emergency response situations.
• Regular exposure to facility operations including noise, dust, temperature fluctuations, and industrial equipment.
• Occasional off-hours or weekend work required for emergency facility responses or projects as needed
• Requires frequent use of a computer and other standard office equipment for documentation, communication, and coordination tasks.

What Success Looks Like in the First Year

• Test events start on time with fully instrumented vessels, and every run produces usable, traceable data.
• Technicians work across all sites follows one consistent standard, documented in checklists and travelers that anyone on the team can execute.
• Field findings reach the engineering team in written form fast enough to influence the next design revision, not the one after it.
• The Fort Pierce consolidation lands without a gap in test or build tempo.

Background Check

This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified candidates with a criminal history will be considered and are not automatically disqualified, consistent with federal and state law.

EEO and ITAR/EAR Work Authorization Disclosure

Red Cat Holdings provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics,protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software, technology or technical data controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Successful candidates for positions subject to ITAR/EAR restrictions must provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residence and must not require sponsorship for export-restricted work authorization.

E-Verify

The company participates E-Verify ensure eligibility for employment and compliance with Right to Work rules.

Compensation: Salary plus generous annual equity package and potential bonuses.