Field weeks
Engineers and PMs join two field weeks a year on deployed buoys—sunburn included—to see failure modes you cannot reproduce in the lab.
Climate hardware · San Francisco
Build sensors that survive salt air.
Pelican Labs designs rugged ocean monitoring hardware for research fleets and coastal utilities. We are a 240-person company across San Francisco, Reno manufacturing, and remote engineering—and we hire people who want prototypes on the dock, not only in Figma.
We publish salary bands on every listing and answer leveling questions before you apply.
Why people join
Teams stay small, problems stay real, and managers are expected to explain tradeoffs—not heroics.
Safety-first manufacturing
Reno plant teams run documented safety stand-ups. We would rather stop a line than ship a cracked housing.
Hybrid with purpose
SF roles are hybrid with two anchor days. Remote listings say so in writing with timezone expectations.
Benefits that respect shifts
Factory and field roles receive the same parental leave and medical coverage as corporate staff—no tiered policy PDF.
Company snapshot
- Employees worldwide
- 240
- Women in engineering
- 38%
- Weeks paid parental leave
- 16
- Glassdoor rating
- 4.5/5
Find your seat
Search by team or filter by location. Every listing includes band, level, and hiring manager name.
4 roles
Own RTOS bring-up for next-gen buoy boards. C, power budgeting, salt-fog testing.
Second-shift assembly with documented QA checkpoints.
Plan long-lead marine sensors and manage vendor scorecards.
Partner with factory and field leaders on leveling and investigations.
Pay transparency
Published bands for common levels. Actual offers depend on scope and location.
IC track
IC3
Established contributor with mentorship scope.
USD125,000
- Band published on listing
- Annual refresh
- Equity grant
IC4
Technical lead on a subsystem or line.
USD155,000
- Field week eligibility
- On-call comp
- Learning stipend
IC5
Architect across hardware and firmware.
USD185,000
- Staff council
- Conference budget
- Relocation support
From the team
“Field week changed how I prioritize power draw. You cannot unsee a corroded connector.”
“Parental leave was the same policy on the factory floor as in the office. That mattered.”
“They told me the level and band before the first interview. No guessing games.”
Composite employee quotes.
Candidates ask
Do you sponsor visas?
Yes for critical roles after leveling review. We do not sponsor intern cohorts.
Is remote permanent?
Only when the listing says so. Hybrid roles require anchor days in SF.
How fast do you move?
Most loops finish in three weeks with written feedback either way.
Do you use agencies?
We hire directly—apply here or email talent partners.
Ready to apply?
Pick a role, save it, and send a single application—or email talent partners with questions first.
Talent partners
525 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
- Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00 Pacific
- Factory tours Thursdays by RSVP
+1 (415) 555-0141