Senior Robotics Controls Engineer

Senior Robotics Controls Engineer
Compensation: $150K–$250K base + equity (no bonus)
Location: South San Francisco, CA
Work Policy: 5 days/week in-office
Sponsorship: Visa transfers supported (not open to OPT candidates)
Stage: Seed-stage surgical robotics company | $14M raised
Hiring Target: 1

Who Are We?
Were building autonomous surgical robots designed to dramatically shorten the learning curve for complex procedures. Our systems combine robotics, motion planning, computer vision, and real-time control to execute surgical steps with speed and precision.

This is a high-priority hire. The team is moving quickly and eager to engage strong candidates immediately.

What's in It for You?
Work on cutting-edge robotic control systems with real-world clinical impact.
Own motion planning and control algorithms in a production robotic platform.
Join a well-funded seed-stage company with commercial traction.
High autonomy and direct collaboration with founders.
Competitive base salary plus meaningful equity.
Relocation assistance ($5K–$10K).

What Will You Do?
Develop and implement control systems and motion planning for a surgical robotics platform.
Design algorithms for trajectory planning, behavior planning, and robotic actuation.
Work on state estimation, inverse kinematics, and Model Predictive Control (MPC).
Integrate 2D/3D sensor inputs (Lidar, cameras, TOF, IMUs) into control logic.
Contribute to real-time, low-latency robotic systems with high accuracy requirements.
Collaborate closely with hardware, ML, and UI teams to deliver production-ready robotic capabilities.

What Will You Need?
Bachelors degree in Robotics, Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (strong academic background required).
3+ years of robotics engineering or closely related experience.
Deep understanding of control systems (linear and non-linear).
Strong software development skills in C++ and/or Python.
Experience with ROS or ROS2.
Startup mindset: high ownership, urgency, and comfort working in fast-paced environments.

Strongly Preferred
Masters degree.
Experience in autonomous vehicles or aerospace (Guidance, Navigation & Control, embedded flight control).
Knowledge of surgical robotics systems.
Experience with Model Predictive Control (MPC), system identification, and advanced control theory.
Background in robotics software engineering involving object tracking, sensor fusion, or real-time systems.

Must Not Have
Manufacturing Controls engineer background (industrial/PLC-focused).
Primarily MATLAB-only experience without production-grade software development.

Additional High-Signal Experience
Robotics Controls
Control Theory
Flight Controls
State Estimation
Inverse Kinematics
Model Predictive Control (MPC)
Behavior Planning
Trajectory Planning
System Identification
Embedded flight control software

Pre-Screen Questions (Required for Submission)

1. Has the candidate owned and taken a project all the way to production?

2. What was the most challenging problem they have solved?

3. Is the candidate available to travel up to once per month?

4. Is the candidate comfortable viewing live surgical procedures onsite?