Mission Operations Manager, MUSV

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 SUMMARY

We are hiring a Mission Operations Manager to ensure the continued safe operation of our autonomous vessels as the fleet grows. Across R&D, customer operations, and real-world missions, you will be the maritime safety expert our operators count on. This role reports to the Senior Director of Mission Operations.

As the company’s Designated Person Ashore (DPA), you will maintain our vessel Safety Management System (SMS) and advise operators on maritime risk across all on-water activity. The ideal candidate will bring deep maritime expertise and apply that knowledge to the emerging autonomous regulations. You will collaborate closely with Boat Captains, Marine Engineers, Deck Officers, Mission Operations Engineers and Specialists, and Ship Maintenance teams.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

MARITIME SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SMS)

• Serve as the company’s Designated Person Ashore (DPA), linking shipboard operations and management on all safety and pollution-prevention matters.

• Maintain the vessel Safety Management System (SMS) under the IMO ISM Code, keeping policies and shipboard procedures current across all on-water operations.

• Partner with operations to develop a Remote Operation Center Safety Management System (ROCSMS) that supplements the ship’s SMS, per emerging IMO guidance for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS).

• Document the relationship between the ship’s SMS and the ROCSMS through the MASS ROC Certificate, maintaining the ship’s established safety level.

• Develop safety standards and acceptance criteria for launch, recovery, towing, support-vessel, maintenance, and flyaway activities.

• Provide independent safety assessments to inform operators’ go/no-go and risk decisions, and escalate concerns to leadership.

• Maintain vessel safety documentation and records, and support the captain on drills and emergency readiness to a standard suitable for class, flag, and customer review.

RISK MANAGEMENT & FIELD SUPPORT

• Support operations with risk assessments and job hazard analyses, advising on mitigation and contingency plans.

• Embed with teams during tests and live missions to observe execution and advise on safe practices.

• Develop safety checklists, pre-operation briefs, and emergency-response procedures for coastal, open-water, and forward environments.

• Advise on safe handling of marine and industrial hazards, including fuels, hazardous materials, confined spaces, and work at heights.

MARITIME REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

• Advise operations on compliance with IMO conventions (ISM Code, SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW, COLREGs) and applicable USCG, flag/port state, OSHA, environmental, and DoD requirements.

• Work with classification societies (e.g., ABS), the USCG, and flag/port state authorities to align safety practice with class, survey, and statutory requirements.

• Translate maritime safety standards into field-ready procedures for autonomous surface vessels.

INCIDENT RESPONSE & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

• Coordinate incident and near-miss reporting, investigations, and root cause corrective action (RCCA), reporting findings to review boards to prevent repeat issues.

• Track safety metrics and report fleet safety readiness to leadership.

• Feed lessons learned into procedures, training, and engineering to improve safety and reliability.

TRAINING & SUPPORT

• Deliver safety training on safe operation, mission execution, and emergency procedures.

• Develop safety training materials and onboarding for operational personnel.

• Track training completion and certification currency, scheduling refreshers before they lapse.

• Serve as the first point of contact for day-to-day safety questions.

• Promote knowledge sharing across autonomy, software, hardware, systems, and maintenance teams.

ASSURANCE & ADMIN …