Forward Deployed Engineer
Are you looking for an opportunity to make an impact at a fast-growing, investor-backed AI/ML company and take cutting-edge AI perception technology out of the lab and into the field? Tocaro Blue is seeking a versatile Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to be on the road as the link between our ProteusCore™ and ApolloCore™ platforms and real-world mission success. You will be responsible for deploying and integrating our systems in operationally relevant maritime environments—directly supporting customers in the field, primarily on Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) programs. This will be a hands-on forward deployed role with extensive travel requirements.
Tocaro Blue is transforming maritime technology by modernizing legacy marine radar systems through innovative software solutions. Our flagship product, ProteusCore™, is an advanced software platform that integrates marine Radar data with artificial intelligence and machine learning models to deliver real-time situational awareness and support vessel autonomy systems. Our second and newest product, ApolloCore™, is a complementary machine learning solution that enhances marine EO/IR cameras with stabilization, object detection, and tracking to extend real-time perception and situational awareness across both radar and electro-optical sensors.
Role Summary
We're seeking a hands-on engineer to join our team in an essential role supporting the forward deployment and implementation of our AI perception systems on client platforms. In this position, you'll be responsible for client integration support and the customization of Tocaro Blue software products to ensure success on client vessels and missions.
This role sits at the intersection of marine technology and artificial intelligence, offering the opportunity to work with unique sensors and contribute to cutting-edge autonomous systems for maritime applications.
Responsibilities
Serve as a multidisciplinary field engineer responsible for the mechanical, electrical, and software integration of ProteusCore™, ApolloCore™, and marine sensor payloads onto client vessels, USVs, and maritime platformsDeploy and test ProteusCore™ and ApolloCore™ in the field, identifying and resolving issues related to networking, perception, sensor fusion, and system performance in real-world maritime conditionsPerform system installation, integration, and troubleshooting of power, networking, sensor, and compute subsystems, including high-performance GPU edge hardwareOwn dockside and sea trials—prepare vessels, install new hardware and software packages, and perform system validation in operationally relevant environmentsAnalyze performance data from real-world missions and deployments, using insights to drive improvements to software performanceWork directly with operators and end-users, gathering feedback and adapting the system to operational requirementsCollaborate with cross-functional teams—including our ML engineering, product, and field operations personnel—to evolve and harden system designs and enhance product capabilitiesDocument deployment procedures, best practices, and debugging workflows to improve system reliability and scale our deployment operationsProviding product-use and troubleshooting assistance to clients based on your own on-water experiencesRequired qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field such as ocean engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, naval architecture or a related fieldTwo years of experience in Information Technology, specifically experience configuring Local Networks (e.g. using NMCLI).Experience working with a Linux-based operating systemComfort interacting with technical and business clients; installing and demonstrating software, training clients on expected system performanceDemonstrated attention to detail and the ability to create and follow a planHands-on expertise in electrical integration (power systems, cabling, connectors) and mechanical assembly and fabricationAbility to diagnose and debug complex systems, from low-level networking and hardware faults to high-level perception and autonomy behaviorsWillingness to work in dynamic, hands-on environments, including on and near the water, with frequent travel to client test sites (often up to 75% per month)Comfort working with tools such as wrenches, power tools, and basic electrical test equipmentPreferred qualifications
2+ years of experience working on marine electronics, integrated electromechanical or software systems, preferably in fielded or mission-critical environmentsSoftware engineering ability, with experience in Python, C++, Rust, or similar languages for hardware bring-up, test automation, and system debuggingExperience with autonomous systems, USVs, boats and shipsExperience integrating and working with sensors such as radar, cameras (EO/IR), GPS, and IMUs, especially in perception-driven autonomy applicationsFamiliarity with ruggedized or IP-rated hardware and electronics designCompensation & Commitment
$80,000 - $120,000 salary, with potential for incentive equity compensation401(k) with matching (up to 4% of salary), Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability InsuranceVery frequent travel, home based out of our engineering office in Birmingham, ALIn-house training on tools and techniquesAbility to work on US Government Contracts (typically limited to US Citizens)Equal Opportunity & Eligibility
Tocaro Blue, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
Individual offers are made based on skill and experience, geographic location, as well as role, responsibility, and leadership within the company, and other due diligence. Our hiring team will try to determine whether each candidate fits the job description and may choose, at their discretion, to redirect a candidate to another job offering that is more appropriate.
NOTICE: All candidates for this role must be eligible to access sensitive information and items that requires “US Person status”, which is typically limited to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), with few exceptions. Tocaro Blue LLC is not able to sponsor work visas for this role.
Are you an experienced machine learning researcher ready to push the limits of AI in one of the toughest domains—maritime autonomy? At Tocaro Blue, your expertise in designing, training, and deploying custom ML models will directly advance our foundational perception stack, ProteusCore.
As a Principal ML Engineer, you will be the lead architect of Radar (and secondary EO/IR) models for object detection, semantic segmentation, and tracking. You’ll design algorithms capable of distinguishing vessels, land, shoreline constructions, wakes, and markers in dynamic maritime environments where off-the-shelf models fall short.
Your work will fuel products used by:
· Defense customers developing USVs/ASVs for the U.S. Navy.
· Commercial OEMs bringing advanced marine ADAS and autopilot features to market.
This role is an opportunity to define the ML foundations of maritime autonomy—where perception evolves from situational awareness, to navigation assistance, to full autonomy.
Core ML and Autonomy Innovation· Invent and refine custom deep learning architectures for Radar and EO/IR imagery, with an emphasis on semantic segmentation and temporal tracking
· Develop multi-stage ML pipelines (context + characteristic models, segmentation + classification) tailored to low-SNR Radar returns
· Train models on proprietary large-scale datasets (millions of Radar samples and camera sequences) with design-of-experiment methods for data collection and annotation
· Optimize and deploy models to resource-constrained edge hardware (CPU-only and ARM64 platforms), including C++ inference layers
· Advance fusion-aware ML models that integrate Radar with EO/IR, AIS, and cartography for robust classification in GPS-denied or cluttered environments
· Collaborate with fusion and autonomy engineers to ensure ML outputs integrate seamlessly into multi-target tracking and SLAM pipelines
· Contribute to ML-Ops workflows: data management, large-scale training, continuous integration of new field data, and automated evaluation pipelines
What Sets You ApartEssential Qualifications
· Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or related field
· 7+ years applying machine learning and signal processing to real-world dynamic systems (graduate research counts if directly applicable)
· Demonstrated mastery of semantic segmentation and object classification models, ideally applied to non-vision sensor modalities
· Expert-level Python skills with ML frameworks (TensorFlow/Keras, PyTorch, or equivalent)
Preferred Expertise
· Track record of developing ML models beyond standard YOLO-style detectors, particularly for segmentation of noisy or sparse data (Radar, sonar, or medical imaging)
· Strong background in computer vision and temporal modeling (CNNs, transformers, RNNs for sequential sensor data)
· Experience deploying ML to embedded/edge platforms with optimized C++ inference
· Knowledge of marine, automotive, or aerial robotics systems
· Contributions to large-scale ML data pipelines: annotation strategies, dataset balancing, simulation-to-real transfer
· Passion for pushing the boundaries of AI in GPS-denied, cluttered, and low-visibility environments
Why Tocaro Blue?Competitive Compensation & Growth
· $140,000 - $200,000 base salary with potential equity in a rapidly growing company
· Comprehensive benefits: 401(k) with 4% company matching, full health/dental/vision, life & disability insurance, generous PTO
· Continuous learning via conferences, training, and professional growth
Innovation-First Culture
· Direct impact on defining the AI backbone of maritime autonomy
· Work on problems unsolved in automotive AI: Radar segmentation, maritime multi-object tracking, sensor fusion in GPS-denied waters
· Collaborative environment with elite engineers and researchers
Flexible Work Environment
· Hybrid and remote options for Southeastern US-based candidates. Offices in Pensacola (FL), Birmingham (AL), and Atlanta (GA)
· Hands-on field validation through semi-monthly data collection trips at our Pensacola test facility
· A culture that balances innovation with personal growth
Equal Opportunity & EligibilityTocaro Blue, LLC is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
Individual offers are based are made based on skill and experience, geographic location, as well as role, responsibility, and leadership within the company, and other due diligence. Our hiring team will try to determine whether each candidate fits the job description and may choose, at their discretion, to redirect a candidate to another job offering that is more appropriate.
All employees must be eligible to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance. With few exceptions, this is restricted to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents (a.k.a. current Green Card Holders). Tocaro Blue LLC is not able to sponsor work visas nor permanent resident cards ("green cards") for this role.
Read LessData Analyst
Looking for an opportunity to make an impact at a fast growing, investor-backed AI/ML company? This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting-edge intersection of AI/ML models, sensor fusion, and large datasets. You will be an integral part of a high-performing multi-disciplinary team developing innovative products from the ground up.
Tocaro Blue is transforming maritime technology by modernizing legacy marine radar systems through innovative software solutions. Our flagship product, ProteusCore™, is an advanced software platform that integrates vessel Radar sensor data with artificial intelligence and machine learning models to deliver real-time situational awareness and support vessel autonomy systems.
Role Summary
We're seeking a detail-oriented Data Analyst to join our machine learning team in an essential role supporting the development and refinement of our AI perception systems. In this position, you'll be responsible for annotating and labeling imagery from radar, camera, and other marine sensors, creating the high-quality training datasets that power our machine learning models. Your work will contribute to improving ProteusCore's ability to detect, classify, and track objects in maritime environments.
This role sits at the intersection of marine technology and artificial intelligence, offering the opportunity to work with unique sensor data and contribute to cutting-edge autonomous systems for maritime applications.
Responsibilities
Review and analyze radar and camera imagery and data from various marine sensors, carefully annotating objects, vessels, obstacles, and environmental features according to established protocols, proprietary tools, and taxonomies.Working closely with our ML engineering team, you'll help define and refine annotation standards as our models evolve and improveMaintaining detailed records of labeling activities, identifying edge cases or ambiguous scenarios that require technical reviewParticipating in quality assurance processes to ensure dataset integrity.Requirements
Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field such as data science, computer science, geography, marine science, or engineeringDemonstrated attention to detail and the ability to perform repetitive tasks with high accuracy and consistency.Familiarity with image annotation tools and basic understanding of computer vision or machine learning concepts is valuable, though specific experience with radar or marine sensors is not requiredCompensation & Commitment
$60,000 - $80,000 salary, with potential for incentive equity compensation401(k) with matching (up to 4% of salary), Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability InsuranceIn-house training on tools and techniquesAbility to work on US Government Contracts (typically limited to US Citizens)Required in-office, Pensacola, FLEqual Opportunity & Eligibility
Tocaro Blue, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
Individual offers are made based on skill and experience, geographic location, as well as role, responsibility, and leadership within the company, and other due diligence. Our hiring team will try to determine whether each candidate fits the job description and may choose, at their discretion, to redirect a candidate to another job offering that is more appropriate.
NOTICE: All candidates for this role must be eligible to access sensitive information and items that requires “US Person status”, which is typically limited to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), with few exceptions. Tocaro Blue LLC is not able to sponsor work visas for this role.
Read Less