Ocean robots that stay at sea for months
Online Oceans builds Scout, a 2.4 m solar-electric robot boat that collects ocean data for months at a time. No ship. No crew. One person launches it from a beach. Tether, our web platform, runs the fleet from any browser.
Survey companies, instrument makers and research programmes use Scout to watch the sea, listen for vessels and marine mammals, and measure waves and weather. We are a small, venture-backed team in Southampton, growing fast.
The job
You prepare Scouts, launch them from beaches, slipways and RHIBs, keep them running for months and bring them home. Scout is 2.4 m and 80 kg, so one person can launch it from shore without a crane or support vessel. When something fails at sea, you find out why and fix it, and between deployments you test and maintain the fleet in the workshop. Work ranges from local sea tests to customer missions and multi-boat trials, so expect travel and some long days. The job suits people who already spend their spare time on the water: sailors, surfers, divers and RHIB drivers.
What you will do
- Prepare, launch and recover Scouts from slipways, beaches and support boats.
- Drive the RHIB on trials and deployments.
- Watch the fleet in Tether during missions and act when weather or vehicle health changes.
- Find and fix faults across electrical, mechanical and software systems.
- Run sea tests and pre-delivery checks, and maintain Scouts in the workshop between deployments.
- Fit and test sensors such as hydrophones and metocean packages with the integration team.
- Write up faults and fixes so engineering can improve the next build.
What you will bring
- 5+ years working offshore or at sea: sea trials, survey, marine operations or yachting.
- Regular time on the water: sailing, surfing, diving, rowing or foiling.
- Hands-on electrical and mechanical skills, and a methodical approach to fault finding.
- Confidence handling small boats in wind, waves and tide.
- Powerboat Level 2 or Advanced, or willingness to get them. We pay for training.
- Comfort working outdoors in cold, wet conditions.
Nice to have
- Uncrewed vehicles: USV, AUV, ROV or drones.
- Ocean sensors: hydrophones, CTDs, wave buoys.
- Sailing or commercial sea qualifications.
Why join
- Qualifications paid for We pay for your powerboat and sea qualifications, so you build up your tickets while you work.
- Real missions Scouts have held station offshore for 40 days of continuous metocean data and tracked underwater vehicles for customers around the UK.
- You learn the whole boat Faults at sea can be electrical, mechanical or software, so you get to know Scout's power, propulsion, sensors and satellite links end to end.
- Your fixes shape the next build Engineering works from your fault reports, so problems you find at sea get designed out of later Scouts.
How to apply
Email your CV to hello@onlineoceans.com with "Field Engineer" in the subject line. Add a few lines on what you have built and why the ocean matters to you.
Not a perfect match? Apply anyway. We reply to every application. No agencies, please.
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