Mission Manager - Middle East

The Position

Saildrone is seeking a Mission Manager to join our Mission Execution team. Reporting to the Manager of Mission Control, you will play a critical role in planning, coordinating, and executing on-the-water operations for Saildrone’s global USV missions. You will translate customer objectives into executable mission plans, ensure fleet readiness, and maintain real-time operational alignment across internal teams and external stakeholders. We are looking for a skilled operational leader who creates clarity from complexity, communicates with precision, and thrives in fast-paced, mission-critical environments.

The Team

The Mission Management team drives the end-to-end planning and execution of Saildrone’s autonomous maritime missions. Our core focus is on ensuring safe, reliable, and scalable Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) operations for national security, defense, and commercial applications. Operating at the critical junction of customers, fleet operations, engineering, and product development, Mission Managers translate mission objectives into actionable, rigorous operational plans. This position is central to the organization, requiring communication of both mission objectives and technical expertise to a wide spectrum of stakeholders. Candidates should anticipate being at the forefront of worldwide autonomous vehicle operations in a rapidly evolving industry.

The Responsibilities

• Mission Planning & Feasibility: Plan and coordinate global mission operations to achieve schedule and performance targets, serving as the primary lead for mission feasibility assessments in partnership with Sales and Program Delivery.
• Regulatory & Port Authority: Be accountable for liaison with Coast Guard, Port Captains, and VTS, including the management of Reserves and Sanctuaries access permissions and required reporting.
• Technical Customer Interface: Work closely with customers via the Mission Portal to align on routing, Concept of Operations (CONOPS), and technical troubleshooting by connecting clients to internal SMEs.
• Fleet Allocation: Carry out daily coordination with Surveyor, Voyager, and Explorer Fleet Captains to manage drone allocation, deployments, and recoveries in accordance with mission requirements.
• Operational Monitoring: Monitor for fleet navigational anomalies, weather risks, and payload status issues, taking action to resolve or mitigate via real-time 24/7 tasking of the piloting team.
• Documentation & Training: Adhere to and refine Mission Control SOPs, contributing to the development of customer training materials and internal process documentation to improve operational scalability.
• System Roadmap Feedback: Provide timely updates on vehicle performance and health issues to Product and R&D teams to support quality improvements and the execution of new product test plans.
• Operational Continuity: Meet watch and mission commitments, managing timelines and providing status updates to executive stakeholders while ensuring all operations follow COLREGS and maritime safety standards.

The Qualifications

• Experience in maritime operations, autonomous systems, defense, aerospace, or complex technical operations.
• Working knowledge of navigation, COLREGS, and maritime safety practices.
• Experience in command-and-control, operations centers, or real-time mission environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills across technical, operational, and executive stakeholders.
• Proven ability to prioritize, troubleshoot, and make decisions in dynamic, high-pressure environments.
• Ability to translate mission requirements into actionable operational plans.
• Passion for autonomous technology, maritime awareness, and ocean data.
• Willingness to travel as required to support missions and customer engagements.
• This role will be based out of the United Arab Emirates.

While benefit packages vary by country/region, typical coverage includes below.