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Ocean Mapping Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

U.S. Navy

Oceanography Officer (Reserve)

Redding, CA · On-site

Prepare ocean, sea and waterway charts and maps for anything from basic navigation to search-and-rescue efforts * Maintain the military's primary master clock, which provides the most precise time ...

U.S. Navy

Oceanography Officer (Reserve)

Redding, CA

Prepare ocean, sea and waterway charts and maps for anything from basic navigation to search-and-rescue efforts * Maintain the military's primary master clock, which provides the most precise time ...

Ocean View Elementary School District

Bus Driver

Oxnard, CA · On-site

$27.19 - $33.08/hr

Ocean View School District is located just north of the beautiful Santa Monica/Malibu area, and ... Ability to read maps. Skill in working with the public and school community. Professional demeanor ...

Blue Robotics, Inc.

Assembly Technician

Torrance, CA · On-site

$18 - $20/hr

As the Assembly Technician, each component that you assemble will go out into the world to help explore shipwrecks, study endangered species, map the ocean floor, and generally advance human ...

Seasats

Senior Front End Software Engineer

San Diego, CA · Hybrid

$160K - $210K/yr

... edge of ocean autonomy. About You: * 5+ years of experience developing SPAs/PWAs with modern ... Familiarity with mapping APIs (e.g., Leaflet, Cesium, etc.) * Experience with data visualization or ...

Seasats

Senior Front End Software Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$160K - $210K/yr

... edge of ocean autonomy. About You: * 5+ years of experience developing SPAs/PWAs with modern ... Familiarity with mapping APIs (e.g., Leaflet, Cesium, etc.) * Experience with data visualization or ...

Seasats

Senior Front End Software Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$160K - $210K/yr

... edge of ocean autonomy. About You: * 5+ years of experience developing SPAs/PWAs with modern ... Familiarity with mapping APIs (e.g., Leaflet, Cesium, etc.) * Experience with data visualization or ...

Seasats

Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) Pilot

San Diego, CA · On-site

$75K - $100K/yr

Familiarity with mapping tools, telemetry, or monitoring systems * Experience with video games ... After thousands of years in which the only way to gather information from the ocean was to put ...

Seasats

Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) Pilot

San Diego, CA · On-site

$75K - $100K/yr

Familiarity with mapping tools, telemetry, or monitoring systems * Experience with video games ... After thousands of years in which the only way to gather information from the ocean was to put ...

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Ocean Mapping information

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$10

$29

$72

How much do ocean mapping jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 7, 2026, the average hourly pay for ocean mapping in California is $29.88, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $18.83 and $32.95 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the typical work environments and team structures for professionals in ocean mapping?

Professionals in Ocean Mapping often split their time between fieldwork at sea and data analysis in office or laboratory settings. Fieldwork involves operating survey equipment aboard research vessels, sometimes for extended periods and in challenging weather conditions, while office work focuses on processing and interpreting collected data. Ocean Mapping specialists frequently collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, including marine biologists, engineers, and GIS analysts, to ensure comprehensive project outcomes. Being comfortable working both independently and as part of a team is valuable, and opportunities for advancement often include moving into project management or research leadership roles.

What is an ocean mapping?

An Ocean Mapping job involves using specialized equipment and software to create detailed maps of the seafloor and underwater features. Professionals in this field collect and analyze data from sonar, satellites, and other sensing technologies to support navigation, environmental research, and marine resource management. Ocean mappers work in industries such as marine science, offshore exploration, and government agencies. Their work helps improve our understanding of ocean ecosystems, underwater hazards, and climate change impacts.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in ocean mapping?

To thrive in Ocean Mapping, candidates typically need a background in marine science, geography, or a related field, along with strong analytical and spatial data interpretation skills. Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), multibeam sonar, remote sensing, and hydrographic survey equipment, as well as certifications like hydrographer accreditation, are often required. Attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and effective communication are important soft skills in this role. These qualities are critical for accurately collecting, interpreting, and presenting complex seafloor data in support of marine navigation, research, and conservation efforts.

What are the most commonly searched types of Ocean Mapping jobs in California? The most popular types of Ocean Mapping jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Ocean Mapping jobs in California? For Ocean Mapping jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Ocean Mapping jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Ocean Mapping jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Ocean Mapping jobs? Cities in California with the most Ocean Mapping job openings:
Ocean Mapping jobs near you
Infographic showing various Ocean Mapping job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 82% Full Time, 6% Part Time, and 12% Nights. Highlights an 94% In-person, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $62,146 per year, or $29.9 per hour.

Principal Scientist - Marine Acoustics

Sofar Ocean

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$150K - $230K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted yesterday

Job description

The Role
Sofar designs, builds, and deploys ocean sensing networks at a global scale to power ocean intelligence. We are expanding our sensing and intelligence capabilities into underwater acoustics and looking for a world-class expert in ocean acoustics to set the technical product vision for Sofar's underwater acoustics platform.
Responsibilities
  • Lead Sofar's underwater acoustics strategy, defining the technical vision for an underwater acoustics platform that supports real-world marine applications.
  • Develop capabilities to detect, classify, localize, and track acoustic sources and targets using passive and/or active techniques.
  • Drive AI/ML model development for edge-based and cloud-based acoustic intelligence models.
  • Advance methods for mapping and characterizing the ocean soundscape-including ambient noise fields, acoustic propagation conditions (e.g., sound-speed structure and transmission loss), and the oceanographic and geoacoustic context that drives them.
  • Provide an acoustics-centric perspective on sensing system design-including hydrophone/array selection, calibration, and geometry-as well as deployment strategy, data quality, and performance validation.
  • Collaborate with Sofar's ocean and sensing scientists, hardware and software engineers, to translate acoustics domain expertise into operational products.
  • Design and conduct field experiments, at-sea data collection, data analyses, and modeling and simulation studies (including propagation and detection-performance modeling) to evaluate acoustic system performance under realistic ocean conditions.
  • Help define product requirements, technical roadmaps, and priorities for new underwater acoustic capabilities.
  • Represent Sofar externally with customers, research partners, government agencies, and the broader ocean acoustics community.
Minimum Job Qualifications
  • Deep expertise in underwater acoustics
  • Practical experience developing acoustic sensing systems or algorithms for detection, classification, localization, mapping, or environmental characterization
  • Strong understanding of marine acoustic propagation, ambient noise, signal processing, and the practical constraints of ocean sensing in the real world
  • Experience working with real-world acoustic datasets, field deployments, and/or operational sensing systems
  • Experience applying statistical signal processing, machine learning, or modern AI methods to acoustic detection, classification, or environmental inference.
  • Excellent communication skills, and you excel working in a cross-functional team
  • Experience translating scientific research into operational products or customer-facing capabilities
  • Ph.D. in acoustics, ocean engineering, electrical engineering, applied physics, oceanography, or a related field, but we will consider highly qualified candidates of any education level with equivalent experience
  • Strong reputation within the ocean acoustics community, with experience leading externally funded research programs or strategic technical partnerships.
  • Enthusiasm and experience in leveraging LLMs to magnify personal impact
Bonus Points
  • Familiarity with embedded sensing systems, firmware constraints, or edge processing for acoustic applications
  • Familiarity with the constraints of autonomous ocean platforms, including limited power, bandwidth, onboard compute, sensor calibration, and long-duration deployments.
  • Comfort working in production codebases when necessary to personally deliver changes.
Estimated Salary Range
  • $137,000 - $185,000
  • The range listed is what we reasonably expect to pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and may be modified in the future. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, experience, and equity package.
Our Approach to AI in the Hiring Process:
At Sofar, we use AI tools in our day-to-day work, and we don't expect our hiring process to be any different. Here's how we think about it:
Applying: Write your own first draft - we want to hear your voice and understand your real experience. AI is fine for refining and polishing, not for generating your story.
Take-home assessments: Complete these on your own unless we've explicitly said otherwise. We'll always be upfront about it when AI is allowed.
Interview prep: Go for it. Use AI to research Sofar, practice your responses, and sharpen your thinking before we meet.
During interviews: This is you. We're a small team and we move fast - live conversations are how we get to know you, and we're genuinely curious how you think in real time.
A note on transparency: We're a lean People team, and we use AI to help with things like drafting job descriptions, preparing interview questions, and candidate communications. We don't use it to make hiring decisions - those are always ours.
The through line: use AI to show more of yourself, not less :)
About Working at Sofar:
Hybrid work: We're a hands-on team building hardware and software that operates in the real world - so being together matters. We ask that most team members are in office at least 70% of the time, though some roles (like field technicians or hardware engineering) may require more. Fully remote roles are designated as such in the job posting.
Visa sponsorship: We do sponsor visas and retain an immigration lawyer to support the process. While we can't guarantee sponsorship for every role or situation, if we make you an offer, we'll make every reasonable effort to make it work.
A note on applying: We mean it when we say we want the strongest people - not the most credentialed ones. If you're excited about this work but don't check every box, please apply anyway. Research consistently shows that underrepresented candidates are more likely to self-select out, and that's a loss for everyone. Sofar operates at the intersection of ocean science, climate, and technology - the problems we're solving are consequential, and the perspectives we bring to them matter. We're actively working to build a team that reflects that.

Apply