Forward Deployed Software Engineer

The job

LIVE Employer public job feed (private-sector employer) Source: the employer's public careers feed · Data: listed 2026-10-21

Job description

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.

Job Overview

We are seeking a Forward Deployed Software Engineer who will be at the forefront of integrating, deploying, and improving our autonomous systems in real-world environments. You will work hands-on with software, networking, and autonomy, ensuring our autonomous service vessels perform reliably in operational settings. This role blends software development, field deployment, and problem-solving to ensure our technology delivers real mission impact.

You will be deeply engaged in debugging and optimizing autonomy algorithms, refining system performance based on real-world data, and working closely with end-users to adapt our technology to mission needs. Whether troubleshooting networking issues, improving sensor integration, or refining control logic, you will play a critical role in making our systems more capable and reliable.

You will be the link between groundbreaking autonomy technology and real-world success. You will work on the front lines of maritime autonomy, ensuring our systems operate effectively in the environments where they matter most. You will impact mission success and shape the future of autonomous maritime operations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and refine software for autonomy, networking, and mission execution, improving system performance in real-world maritime conditions

• Deploy and test ASV software in the field, identifying and resolving issues related to autonomy, perception, and control systems

• Analyze performance data from real-world missions, using insights to drive software improvements and optimize system behavior

• Integrate and validate new autonomy features, ensuring seamless interaction between software, sensors, and vessel hardware

• Work directly with operators and end-users, gathering feedback and adapting the system to operational requirements

• Troubleshoot and resolve software, hardware, and networking issues that arise during deployments

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including autonomy engineers, hardware developers, and field operations personnel, to enhance product capabilities

• Document best practices, deployment procedures, and debugging workflows to improve system reliability and scalability

Qualifications

• Strong software engineering skills, with experience in C++, Rust, Python, or similar languages

• Background in robotics, autonomy, or embedded systems, particularly in maritime, aerospace, or defense applications

• Understanding of networking protocols and distributed systems, including TCP/IP, UDP, and message-passing frameworks

• Experience working with sensors such as cameras, radar, GPS, and IMUs, especially in perception-driven autonomy applications

• Ability to diagnose and debug complex systems, from low-level networking issues to high-level autonomy behaviors

• Ability to work in dynamic environments, where software must adapt to real-world constraints and unpredictable conditions

• Willingness to travel (up to 50%), spending time in the field testing and improving ASV systems in real-world maritime settings

• Experience developing autonomy software for real-world robotic systems, particularly in challenging environments like the ocean

• Familiarity with motion planning, behavior trees, and control algorithms for autonomous navigation

• Background in maritime systems, naval operations, or defense technology

• Knowledge of distributed autonomy architectures and multi-agent coordination

• Hands-on experience integrating and deploying robotic systems in the field

This Role Is For You If:

• You’re a software engineer who wants to see your code leave the repo and run on real vessels, in real missions

• You enjoy tackling integration and deployment challenges where things don’t always go as planned

• You’re comfortable stepping in as the technical expert on-site and working through complex issues independently

• You can take a loosely defined customer need and turn it into something that works in practice

• You like working directly with users, but prefer solving problems through code rather than slides

This Role Is NOT:

• A pilot or flight test engineering position — you’ll be enabling the mission, not flying it

• A primarily hands-on hardware role (electronics, wiring, mechanical assembly), though you may occasionally pitch in

• A job with fully predictable schedules — priorities can shift with demos, weather, and mission needs

• A traditional SRE/DevOps role based entirely in an office — this role includes time in the field

Benefits

• Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance plans covering a range of services

• Dental and Vision Insurance: Coverage for routine dental check-ups, orthodontics, and vision care

• Saronic pays 100% of the premium for employees and 80% for dependents

• Time Off: Generous PTO and Holidays

• Parental Leave: Paid maternity and paternity leave to support new parents

• Competitive Salary: Industry-standard salaries with opportunities for performance-based bonuses

• Retirement Plan: 401(k) plan

• Stock Options: Equity options to give employees a stake in the company’s success

• Life and Disability Insurance: Basic life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage

• Additional Perks: Free lunch benefit and unlimited free drinks and snacks in the office 

Physical Demands

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

• Occasional standing and walking within the office

• Manual dexterity to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and other office equipment

• Visual acuity to read screens, documents, and reports

• Occasional reaching, bending, or stooping to access file drawers, cabinets, or office supplies

• Lifting and carrying items up to 20 pounds occasionally (e.g., office supplies, packages)

Saronic CCPA Notice for Candidates and California Employees

If this role is based in the United States, it requires access to export-controlled information or items that require “U.S. Person” status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a “U.S. Person”: (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Saronic does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Explore around this job

Field: Technology Sub-niche: Data, analytics and AI All jobs at Saronic Jobs in California Jobs in San Diego, CA San Diego city guide California state guide San Diego County economy

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About the role

This is a — role in the Technology field (Data, analytics and AI) at Saronic.

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How to prepare and behave

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The city

The job is in San Diego, CA. Below is what the official statistics say about living and working there.

How San Diego compares. Among the 145 largest places in California, San Diego is #2 by population, #17 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #116 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #39 for college degrees (#1 = most). Its county, San Diego County, is #8 of 58 counties for average pay ($82,854).

The place in numbers

San Diego has 1,389,526 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 3.5% of the population of California. It covers 326 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 4,261 people per square mile. The median age is 36.2, 4% younger than the state median (36.2 against 37.9).

Housing

The median gross rent is $2,313 a month (rent plus utilities), 14% above the state median ($2,313 against $2,036). Over a year that is 25.7% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $906,700, which is 8.4 times the median household income ($108,077); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 47.3% of households own their home, 15% below the state average (47.3% against 55.9%).

Work and pay

The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan area has 1,538,060 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $58,690 a year, 15% above the national median ($58,690 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are food preparation and serving related (161,910 jobs, median $38,840); office and administrative support (155,940 jobs, median $52,940); sales and related (124,550 jobs, median $44,010). The area is most specialised in life, physical, and social science (1.7 times) and architecture and engineering (1.5 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($136,440) and computer and mathematical ($129,520). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of San Diego County was 4.7%. 65.1% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in San Diego County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.

Getting around

Among workers, 62.6% drive alone, 2.7% use public transit, 3.5% walk, 21.2% work from home. 9.5% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 51% below the state average (9.5% against 19.4%).

People and education

51.0% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 38% above the state share (51.0% against 37.1%). 25.1% of residents were born outside the United States, 7% below the state share (25.1% against 27.0%). The poverty rate is 11.0%, 8% below the state rate (11.0% against 12.0%).

Climate

The warmest month is Aug, averaging 77°F (24.9°C), and the coolest is Dec at 51°F (10.7°C). About 320 mm (13 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Feb is the wettest month (70 mm) and Jun the driest (2 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.

Nearby cities to compare

Closest cities in this guide: El Cajon (10 miles, rent 20% lower); Chula Vista (15 miles, rent 4% lower); San Marcos (22 miles, similar rent); Escondido (22 miles, rent 12% lower). Rent differences are against San Diego; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.

Full guide to San Diego →California guideAll jobs in San Diego

Official links for San Diego

• Official website of San Diego: sandiego.gov
• Census Bureau data profile for San Diego
• Official website of San Diego County: sandiegocounty.gov
• Official state website: ca.gov
• BLS Economy at a Glance: California

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Where to live

CITY Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024

Places within 50 miles (straight line) of San Diego, CA that have a guide, with what living there costs. No pay estimate is shown because the title did not match one occupation.

Career paths

We could not match this title to one occupation, so here are the other sub-niches in Technology, where your skills may carry over:

Cybersecurity (713) Software engineering (4089) Cloud, IT and infrastructure (1040) Product management (836)

Distances

CITY Calculation (straight line) Source: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer (coordinates) · Data: 2024

How far San Diego, CA is from the 20 largest US cities, in straight-line miles (not driving distance). Click a column to sort.

Nearby cities with open jobs (within 120 miles)

The employer

Saronic is the employer in this listing. See all its open jobs here →

We do not hold headcount or revenue for this employer. Check its careers site and, if it is listed on a stock exchange, its public filings (SEC EDGAR search).

What it is like to work at a company (culture, schedules, benefits) is not in the source data, so we do not describe it. Read the description and ask the questions under "How to prepare".

Other open jobs at Saronic

Similar jobs

Same sub-niche: Data, analytics and AI

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FAQ

What is the Forward Deployed Software Engineer job at Saronic?

A private-sector role in technology (data, analytics and ai) listed 19 days ago. The full description is on this page and on the employer's page.

Where is this job?

San Diego, CA.

How do I apply?

Use the "View this job and apply on the employer's page" button. AtiveSite does not receive applications.

How much does it pay?

The listing does not publish pay, and we could not match the title to one official occupation.

What is the cost of living there?

Median rent in San Diego is $2,313 a month and median household income $108,077 (ACS 2020–2024).

How old is this listing?

It was posted on 2026-10-21 (19 days ago). Jobs older than 90 days are not shown.

Are there similar jobs?

Yes: browse data, analytics and ai jobs in California.

Sources and terms

• Job data: Saronic careers page public feed (listing dated 2026-10-21). The job disappears from this site when it disappears from the source.
• Wages and projections: BLS OEWS (May 2025) and Employment Projections 2025–35.
• City and county figures: Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024, BEA, BLS QCEW and LAUS, NASA POWER climatology; distances from Census Gazetteer coordinates.

AtiveSite is not affiliated with or endorsed by the employer or any government agency, and does not process applications. Verify every detail with the employer before acting.

Sources

• BLS OEWS (wages and employment by occupation, May 2025)
• BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
• BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
• BLS JOLTS
• BLS State and Metro Area Employment
• Census Bureau American Community Survey (via Census Reporter)
• BEA GDP by state and Regional Price Parities
• IRS 2026 tax adjustments
• U.S. Department of Labor, minimum wage by state
• Tax Foundation state income tax rates 2026
• USAJOBS
• USCIS
• U.S. Department of State, visas
• NASA POWER climatology
• GeoNames / Census Gazetteer (coordinates)