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Oceanographic Software Engineer Jobs in San Rafael, CA

Ulysses is a technology company on a mission to steward the ocean for an abundant future. As a Software Engineer, you will own core aspects of the software platform that powers autonomous underwater ...

Senior Software Engineer, Robotics

Alameda, CA ยท On-site

$176K - $226K/yr

With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator ... THE POSITION Saildrone is seeking a Senior Robotics Software Engineer to join our Core Vehicle ...

Senior Software Engineer, Robotics

Alameda, CA ยท On-site

$176K - $226K/yr

With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator ... THE POSITION Saildrone is seeking a Senior Robotics Software Engineer to join our Core Vehicle ...

Staff Software Engineer, Perception

Alameda, CA ยท On-site

$215K - $270K/yr

With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator ... THE POSITION Saildrone is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Perception to join our Robotics ...

Staff Software Engineer, Perception

Alameda, CA ยท On-site

$215K - $270K/yr

With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator ... THE POSITION Saildrone is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Perception to join our Robotics ...

Staff Embedded Software Engineer

Alameda, CA ยท On-site

$215K - $260K/yr

With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator ... THE POSITION Saildrone is seeking a Staff Embedded Software Engineer to join our Firmware team.

Staff Embedded Software Engineer

Alameda, CA ยท On-site

$215K - $260K/yr

With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator ... THE POSITION Saildrone is seeking a Staff Embedded Software Engineer to join our Firmware team.

Staff Software Engineer, Security

Alameda, CA ยท On-site

$189K - $243K/yr

With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator ... THE POSITION Saildrone is seeking a Software Engineer to join our Security team. Our engineers ...

Staff Software Engineer, Security

Alameda, CA ยท On-site

$189K - $243K/yr

With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator ... THE POSITION Saildrone is seeking a Software Engineer to join our Security team. Our engineers ...

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Showing results 1-20

Oceanographic Software Engineer information

See San Rafael, CA salary details

$70.8K

$164.4K

$229.1K

How much do oceanographic software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 18, 2026, the average yearly pay for oceanographic software engineer in San Rafael, CA is $164,446.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $133,800.00 and $192,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an oceanographic software engineer?

Oceanographic Software Engineers are professionals who design, develop, and maintain software systems used in the study of oceans. They create tools for data collection, analysis, and modeling that help oceanographers understand marine environments. Their work often involves programming, working with sensors or remote instruments, and collaborating with scientists to solve complex problems related to oceanography. These engineers play a crucial role in advancing research and technology in the marine sciences.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an oceanographic software engineer?

To thrive as an Oceanographic Software Engineer, you need a strong background in software development, data analysis, and a relevant degree in computer science, engineering, or oceanography. Familiarity with programming languages such as Python, MATLAB, or C++, and experience with oceanographic data systems or remote sensing tools are often required. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you collaborate with scientists and interpret complex datasets. These skills are essential to develop reliable software solutions that advance oceanographic research and ensure accurate, actionable insights from large-scale marine data.

What are some typical challenges faced by oceanographic software engineers when developing software for marine data collection?

Oceanographic Software Engineers often encounter challenges such as ensuring software reliability in harsh and unpredictable marine environments, dealing with intermittent connectivity, and integrating diverse sensor data formats. They must also prioritize efficiency and robustness to handle real-time data processing on resource-constrained equipment. Close collaboration with oceanographers, hardware engineers, and data analysts is essential to ensure that the software meets scientific requirements and performs accurately during field deployments.

What is the difference between Oceanographic Software Engineer vs Marine Data Analyst?

AspectOceanographic Software EngineerMarine Data Analyst
Required CredentialsBachelor's or higher in Oceanography, Computer Science, or related fields; programming skillsBachelor's or higher in Marine Science, Data Analysis, or related fields; statistical skills
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, oceanographic institutions, field data collectionData centers, research institutions, environmental agencies
Employer & Industry UsageOceanographic research, environmental monitoring, marine technology companiesMarine research, conservation organizations, government agencies

While both roles involve marine science, Oceanographic Software Engineers focus on developing software for oceanographic data collection and analysis, requiring programming expertise. Marine Data Analysts primarily interpret marine data to inform research and policy, emphasizing statistical and analytical skills. Both roles are vital in marine science but differ in technical focus and daily tasks.

What are popular job titles related to Oceanographic Software Engineer jobs in San Rafael, CA?

For Oceanographic Software Engineer jobs in San Rafael, CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What cities near San Rafael, CA are hiring for Oceanographic Software Engineer jobs?

Cities near San Rafael, CA with the most Oceanographic Software Engineer job openings:

Infographic showing various Oceanographic Software Engineer job openings in San Rafael, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 91% Full Time, and 9% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $164,446 per year, or $79.1 per hour.

Software Engineer

Ulysses

San Francisco, CA โ€ข On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 14 days ago


Job description

Job Summary:
Ulysses is a technology company on a mission to steward the ocean for an abundant future. As a Software Engineer, you will own core aspects of the software platform that powers autonomous underwater robots, focusing on deployment, fleet operations, simulation, and customer tooling.
Responsibilities:
โ€ข Build the systems that let us ship software to our fleet efficiently and reliably - fast iteration when we need it, safe rollouts and rollbacks when we don't.
โ€ข Make deploying a software change to a robot in the field as routine as deploying to a server.
โ€ข Build the systems that let us monitor and debug a growing fleet of robots from shore - telemetry, logging, alerting, remote access.
โ€ข Design high-bandwidth, low-latency communication between vehicles and ground control over intermittent subsea/maritime links.
โ€ข Own reliability and observability across our distributed services.
โ€ข Build and expand our simulation stack so we can validate software changes without putting a robot in the water.
โ€ข Extend our integration testing and replay tooling for robotics workloads - reducing how much we learn the hard way, in the field.
โ€ข Build (or partner to build) the dashboards, mission-planning interfaces, and ops tools that our team and our customers use every day.
โ€ข Turn painful manual workflows into software.
โ€ข Deploy and validate software in real-world subsea conditions; travel for field tests in locations such as Australia, the EU, and the USA.
Qualifications:
Required:
โ€ข You have 5+ years building production software, ideally something you can show us.
โ€ข You hold a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
โ€ข You've owned a software system end to end architecture, testing, deployment, on-call - and taken it from 'works on my machine' to 'works in front of a customer.'
โ€ข You've built, shipped, and maintained reliable software running in the field - on remote hardware, over unreliable links, in unpredictable environments. You know how to deploy, update, monitor, and debug systems you can't walk over and plug into.
โ€ข Strong Linux fluency - it's what our robots and infrastructure run on.
โ€ข Experience with distributed systems, message-passing architectures, containerized services, and networking fundamentals.
โ€ข You're comfortable collaborating with mechanical, electrical, firmware, and robotics engineers to integrate software with complex hardware.
โ€ข You thrive in fast-paced, hands-on environments where software meets hardware.
โ€ข Able to travel internationally and domestically for field tests.
Preferred:
โ€ข Experience with marine, aerospace, automotive, or other safety-/reliability-critical robotics.
โ€ข Experience shipping and supporting a physical product with external customers.
โ€ข Simulation infrastructure experience (Gazebo, Isaac Sim, in-house simulators).
โ€ข Fleet management or IoT-scale remote-ops experience.
โ€ข Embedded Linux / RTOS exposure, enough to debug across the softwareโ†”firmware boundary.
Company:
Ulysses is a technology company on a mission to steward the ocean for an abundant future. Founded in 2023, the company is headquartered in San Francisco, USA, with a team of 2-10 employees. The company is currently Early Stage.