Control Engineer, Behavior Actuation

Woven By Toyota
Palo Alto, CA
Hybrid

Who this role is best for

Strong fit for control systems professionals who implement and refine real-time algorithms, with a focus on autonomous driving and collaboration.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with advanced control theory knowledge and a passion for real-world impact in autonomous systems
    — “excited at the prospect of their controls knowledge benefitting millions of vehicles in production”
  • Individuals with academic or industry experience in AD/ADAS or robotics, and strong C++ skills
    — “3+ years working in AD/ADAS or highly related fields (robotics, other control systems). Working in an academic lab counts for this.”
  • Engineers who can bridge theoretical control systems with practical implementation in vehicle platforms
    — “develop state-of-the-art vehicle control and estimation algorithms from prototype to production”

Things to consider

  • The role requires a balance between production demands and long-term speculative development
    — “Balance immediate production needs with speculative advanced development work”
  • Candidates must be prepared for on-site testing and real-world data analysis
    — “occasionally ride along in test vehicles to understand current performance”

How to stand out

  • Highlight specific experience with MPC and estimation in autonomous systems projects
    — “solid understanding of control theory, particularly MPC, and estimation”
  • Demonstrate ability to translate theoretical control concepts into production-ready code
    — “Write and edit C++ code to implement control algorithms in our team repositories”
  • Showcase contributions to algorithm selection based on product and capability goals
    — “Review requirements and determine what control algorithms would be most appropriate and why”
  • Emphasize hands-on experience with vehicle dynamics and real-world testing
    — “Review test data and occasionally ride along in test vehicles to understand current performance”
  • Demonstrate leadership in owning a software component and V&V activities
    — “Be a DRI for a software component, responding to customer requests, and representing the team during appropriate V&V activities”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Improved autonomy performance
  • Enhanced vehicle control
Typical background
Control SystemsEstimationRobotics

Skills & requirements

Required

Control TheoryMPCEstimationC++ ProgrammingVehicle Control AlgorithmsReal-time Vehicle Control

Preferred

Machine LearningConvex OptimizationVehicle DynamicsJapanese Language

Stack & domain

Control TheoryMPCEstimationC++MLConvex OptimizationVehicle Dynamics

About the role

Original posting from Woven By Toyota via Lever

Woven by Toyota is enabling Toyota’s once-in-a-century transformation into a mobility company. Inspired by a legacy of innovating for the benefit of others, our mission is to challenge the current state of mobility through human-centric innovation — expanding what “mobility” means and how it serves society.

Our work centers on four pillars: AD/ADAS, our autonomous driving and advanced driver assist technologies; Arene, our software development platform for software-defined vehicles; Woven City, a test course for mobility; and Cloud & AI, the digital infrastructure powering our collaborative foundation. Business-critical functions empower these teams to execute, and together, we’re working toward one bold goal: a world with zero accidents and enhanced well-being for all.

TEAM

The Behavior Actuation team develops state-of-the-art vehicle control and estimation algorithms from prototype to production. We leverage control theory, optimization, and machine learning to design and implement real-time vehicle control solutions with measurable impact on autonomy performance. In this role, the candidate will ensure that the control algorithms used are sufficient to achieve both external product requirements and our own internal capability goals.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

An engineer who is excited at the prospect of their controls knowledge benefitting millions of vehicles in production and who:

Has a solid understanding of control theory, particularly MPC, and estimation.

Has a pragmatic mindset and desire to solve real world problems.

Will be a good teammate and will work collaboratively with others.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

-

Write and edit C++ code to implement control algorithms in our team repositories

-

Review requirements and determine what control algorithms would be most appropriate and why

-

Review test data and occasionally ride along in test vehicles to understand current performance, proactively looking for areas of improvement

-

Be a DRI for a software component, responding to customer requests, and representing the team during appropriate V&V activities

-

Balance immediate production needs with speculative advanced development work

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

-

Masters or PhD in Control Systems, Estimation, Robotics, or similar field

-

3+ years working in AD/ADAS or highly related fields (robotics, other control systems). Working in an academic lab counts for this.

-

Proficient in English, written and verbal

-

C++ programming experience

NICE TO HAVES:

-

Experience with ML, especially learning-based control, RL, etc..

-

Experience with convex optimization

-

Vehicle dynamics knowledge

-

Japanese language skills

The base pay for this position ranges from $112,000 - $184,000 per year.

Your base salary is one part of your total compensation. We offer a base salary, short term and long term incentives, and a comprehensive benefits package. The total compensation offered to an employee will be dependent upon the individual's skills, experience, qualifications, location, and level.

WHAT WE OFFER

We are committed to creating a modern work environment that supports our employees and their loved ones. We offer many options of the best programs to allow you to do your most meaningful work and to help you shape the future of mobility.

・Excellent health, wellness, dental and vision coverage

・A rewarding 401k program

・Flexible vacation policy

・Family planning and care benefits

Our Commitment

・We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity.

・Any information we receive from you will be used only in the hiring and onboarding process. Please see our privacy notice for more details.

Source: Woven By Toyota careers (Lever)

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