Principal Engineer - Remote and Autonomous Navigation Systems (USVs) in Southampton

We are using and creating technology to transform operations at sea to enable people and the planet to thrive. We are open-minded and fearless in our approach to innovation and don’t believe in boundaries. We challenge everything and have massive ambitions to drag aging industries into the tech era. We take safety, equality and education very seriously, and our responsibilities don’t stop at our front door. Our business is built on the belief that there’s definitely a more environmentally responsible way to operate at sea.

We employ people who share our core values. We expect our people to be courageous, trustworthy, and conscientious, driven by a desire to do the right thing. We strive for excellence, work collaboratively, and are genuinely excited by our work. We offer opportunities for our people to develop beyond their role and span a multitude of disciplines. These are open to all, regardless of background and experience level. Working with us means being part of a team that is harnessing technology and creativity to disrupt a traditional industry.

We are seeking an experienced Principal / Lead C++ Engineer to play a defining role in the evolution of our Remote and Autonomous Navigation System for uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). This is a hands-on technical leadership role at the intersection of remote vessel operations, autonomous navigation, and safety critical maritime systems. You will help shape the architecture that enables a clear pathway from remote navigation today to increasingly autonomous operations at fleet scale. This role is ideal for someone who is excited by autonomy, enjoys working close to real hardware, and wants to build navigation systems that operate in the real world: At sea, under regulatory scrutiny, and across an operational fleet.

What You Will Do

• Define and lead the architecture of performance critical C++ systems forming the core of our Remote / Autonomous Navigation System
• Design and implement software spanning:

• Onboard, hardware integrated control and navigation systems
• Interfaces to autonomy, decision support, and navigation logic
• Networking, communications resilience, and distributed services

What We’re Looking For

• Significant professional experience in modern C++ (C++14/17/20)
• Strong background in embedded, edge, or hardware integrated systems
• Demonstrated experience designing or integrating autonomous or semi‐autonomous navigation systems, ideally within:

• Maritime / USVs
• Automotive (ADAS, autonomy, vehicle control)
• Robotics or similar safety critical domains

Desirable Experience

• Autonomy frameworks or middleware (e.g. DDS, ROS, or similar)
• Maritime or industrial control systems and protocols (e.g. NMEA, Modbus, OPC, Profibus)
• Designing navigation or autonomy systems subject to regulatory or classification requirements
• Containerisation or deployment tooling where appropriate (Docker, Kubernetes, edge deployments)
• Experience working with autonomy roadmaps, simulation environments, or data driven improvement loops

Why This Role Is Different

• You will work on a core Remote / Autonomous Navigation System deployed on real vessels, not research prototypes
• The architecture is explicitly designed to support a progressive autonomy pathway, not a one-off autonomy solution
• You will influence how remote navigation, autonomy, and safety coexist in operational maritime systems
• This is not a “pure autonomy” or “pure embedded” role. It is about making autonomous navigation real, operable, and scalable

Salary: Up to £120000

The salary varies for this position as we are recruiting in multiple regional locations and job grades. The salary process is based on skills, abilities, and experience required.

At Ocean Infinity, we believe in creating equal opportunities for all, celebrating each and everyone’s differences. We are driven by transforming the industry, through our technology, thoughts, behaviours and actions. Being inclusive and respectful to all is fundamental to who we are. It is the right thing to do and enables innovation and creativity to thrive. There is more work to be done, and we know that we aren’t perfect, but our commitment to these values is unwavering. They are central to our mission and the impact we have on the industry, meaning, we cannot live without them.