Senior Robotics Engineer, Controls

Clera
San Francisco, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Strong fit for robotics engineers with hands-on control-loop experience who thrive in defense tech and can work on-site in San Francisco.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 4+ years of motion control experience and a background in aerospace or defense systems
    — “At least 4 years of robotics experience, including hands-on design and tuning of closed-loop controllers on motion hardware”
  • Individuals skilled in real-time C++ and simulation with Python or MATLAB/Simulink
    — “Modern C++ for real-time control, plus Python or MATLAB/Simulink for modeling, simulation, and analysis”
  • Engineers who can bridge mechanical, electrical, and software domains through validation and integration
    — “Experience validating simulations against real hardware and working across mechanical, electrical, and software disciplines”

Things to consider

  • On-site presence in San Francisco is required, with no remote flexibility implied
    — “On-site in San Francisco, California.”
  • Visa sponsorship is unavailable, which may limit eligibility for non-US citizens
    — “Visa sponsorship is not available.”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with sensor fusion and nonlinear compensation in motion control systems
    — “Develop state estimation and sensor fusion using IMU, encoder, and vision feedback”
  • Emphasize work with real-time control-loop tuning and hardware-in-the-loop testing
    — “Build and maintain controls simulation and hardware-in-the-loop test infrastructure”
  • Showcase projects involving system identification and resonance characterization
    — “Experience with system identification, frequency-domain tuning, resonance characterization”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

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

What success looks like

  • successful design and tuning of precision motion controls
  • integration and validation on real hardware
Typical background
4+ years of robotics experiencestrong grounding in classical and state-space control

Skills & requirements

Required

Robotics EngineeringControls DesignState EstimationSensor FusionReal-time Control

Preferred

LQR And MPCKalman FiltersSystem Identification

Stack & domain

RoboticsControlsState EstimationSensor FusionReal-time ControlCollaborationProblem-solvingInnovationDefense TechnologyEngineering

About the role

Original posting from Clera via Ashby

ABOUT THE ROLE

Join a small engineering team developing autonomous systems in the defense technology sector. As a senior individual contributor, you will own the precision motion controls stack, from control-loop architecture and state estimation to integration and validation on real hardware.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

  • Design and tune precision pointing and tracking control loops, including closed-loop operation from sensor input to actuator commands at hundreds of hertz.
  • Develop state estimation and sensor fusion using IMU, encoder, and vision feedback.
  • Identify and model gimbal, mount, and actuator dynamics, and compensate for resonance, backlash, friction, saturation, and other nonlinearities.
  • Build and maintain controls simulation and hardware-in-the-loop test infrastructure to validate designs and reduce the sim-to-real gap.
  • Integrate controls with tracking systems and characterize performance on physical hardware in laboratory and field settings.
  • Document controls architecture, tuning approaches, and engineering standards.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

  • At least 4 years of robotics experience, including hands-on design and tuning of closed-loop controllers on motion hardware such as servo drives, brushless motors, encoders, and IMUs.
  • Strong grounding in classical and state-space control, including LQR and MPC, with experience applying control methods to physical systems.
  • Practical state-estimation experience, such as Kalman, EKF, UKF, or complementary filters, and sensor fusion on hardware.
  • Experience with system identification, frequency-domain tuning, resonance characterization, and real-time control-loop latency and jitter.
  • Modern C++ for real-time control, plus Python or MATLAB/Simulink for modeling, simulation, and analysis.
  • Experience validating simulations against real hardware and working across mechanical, electrical, and software disciplines.
  • Background in precision motion, gimbals, target tracking, aerospace, or other related control systems is valuable.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Base salary: $180,000 to $200,000 annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.

LOCATION

On-site in San Francisco, California.

Source: Clera careers (Ashby)

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