Senior/Staff Controls Engineer, Core Development

Nuro
Mountain View, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Aimed at experienced controls engineers with a strong background in vehicle dynamics and autonomy, who thrive in collaborative, cross-functional environments and are comfortable with deploying advanced control systems in real-world scenarios.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with L2+ autonomous driving experience and a track record of deploying control systems at scale
    — “developing and deploying L2+ or higher level automated driving controls software at scale”
  • Individuals with a strong academic background in mechanical or aerospace engineering and industry experience in control theory
    — “MS or Ph.D. (preferred) in mechanical, mechatronics, electrical, aerospace, robotics, or a closely related field”
  • Engineers who can bridge autonomy planning and physical vehicle execution with robust software solutions
    — “Develop seamless interactions between planner and controller and advanced control strategies”

Things to consider

  • The role requires adherence to strict safety standards such as ISO 26262
    — “Develop robust, reliable and optimized production-level control software following safety standards (ISO 26262)”
  • Candidates must be adaptable to evolving operational design domains and real-world conditions
    — “expanded operational design domain, from parking lots to highways, in all weather and road conditions”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with classical and modern control methods in production systems
    — “Implementation experience with classical and modern controls methods and/or ML for Controls”
  • Showcase projects involving vehicle dynamics modeling or ML integration for control systems
    — “Explore Machine Learning for vehicle dynamics and controls to improve vehicle performance”
  • Demonstrate cross-team collaboration on autonomy and hardware integration challenges
    — “Collaborate closely with engineers across hardware, base software, upstream autonomy, vehicle testing and system teams”
  • Emphasize your ability to translate theoretical control strategies into real-world motion execution
    — “translating planned trajectories into safe, precise, real-world motions”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

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

What success looks like

  • develop robust control software
  • deploy production controls software
  • integrate controls stack with new vehicle platforms
Typical background
controls engineeringmechatronicsrobotics

Skills & requirements

Required

Vehicle DynamicsControls TheoryControl Strategy DevelopmentEmbedded C/c++ ProgrammingClassical And Modern Controls MethodsML For ControlsVehicle Testing

Preferred

Genai-assisted Engineering Workflows

Stack & domain

Controls SoftwareVehicle DynamicsControls TheoryML For ControlsEmbedded C/c++MathematicsPhysicsCollaborationProblem-solvingCommunicationTeamworkAdaptabilityAutonomous DrivingVehicle ControlAIRobotics

About the role

Original posting from Nuro

Who We Are 

Nuro believes self-driving vehicles are the most immediate and profound opportunity for AI to drive positive change in the physical world. Safer streets, more time for what matters, and easier access to the world around us, that’s why we’re building a universal autonomy platform: self-driving for all roads and all rides.

Founded in 2016, Nuro is a physical AI company developing Level 4 autonomous driving technology for a wide range of vehicles, use cases, and markets. Powered by the Nuro Driver™, our universal autonomy platform enables the global mobility ecosystem to deploy autonomy at scale, from robotaxis and logistics fleets to personal vehicles.

With years of real-world deployment experience and a flexible, partner-led business model, Nuro is working toward a future where millions of autonomous vehicles powered by our technology help make everyday life safer, easier, and more connected.

Nuro has raised over $2B in capital from Uber, NVIDIA, Google, Softbank, Fidelity, T. Rowe Price, and other leading investors.

About the Role

Controller is the critical link between Nuro Driver's upstream autonomy stack and physical vehicle platform — translating planned trajectories into safe, precise, real-world motions. As a Senior/Staff Controls Engineer, you'll design and deploy production controls software that powers L4 autonomous driving across an expanding operational design domain, from parking lots to highways, in all weather and road conditions. You'll work alongside world-class engineers across autonomy, hardware, and systems to solve problems that don't have textbook answers and see your work running on real vehicles globally.

About the Work

Develop robust, reliable and optimized production-level control software following safety standards (ISO 26262).

Develop  seamless interactions between planner and controller and advanced control strategies for expanded ODD including parking lot maneuvers through highway driving under various weather conditions and road surfaces.

Integrate controls stack with new vehicle platforms.

Explore Machine Learning for vehicle dynamics and controls to improve vehicle performance, drivability and reduced time for new vehicle platform bringups.

Collaborate closely with engineers across hardware, base software, upstream autonomy, vehicle testing and system teams.

About You

MS or Ph.D. (preferred) in mechanical, mechatronics, electrical, aerospace, robotics, or a closely related field.

5+ years of industry experience, including 3+ years focusing on developing and deploying L2+ or higher level automated driving controls software at scale.

Deep knowledge of vehicle dynamics, controls theory, and control strategy development and testing.

Implementation experience with classical and modern controls methods and/or ML for Controls.

Strong embedded C (preferred) or C++ programming skills.

Strong foundation in math (geometry, calculus, probability) and physics (kinematics, dynamics), and analytical skills.

Comfortable working with GenAI-assisted engineering workflows (e.g. Claude Code, Gemini, Cursor).

Proven ability to collaborate within and across teams.

Deep knowledge in vehicle dynamics, controls theories, control strategy development and testing.

Effective oral and written communication skills.

Passionate about solving real-world challenging autonomous driving problems.

Self-starter with strong drive, accountability, and the ability to adapt quickly to new problems

At Nuro, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. For this position, the reasonably expected pay range is between $193,930 and $352,290 for the level at which this job has been scoped. Your base pay will depend on several factors, including your experience, qualifications, education, location, and skills. In the event that you are considered for a different level, a higher or lower pay range would apply. This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus, equity, and a competitive benefits package.

At Nuro, we celebrate differences and are committed to a diverse workplace that fosters inclusion and psychological safety for all employees. Nuro is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and expressly prohibits any form of workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics. #li-dnp

Source: Nuro careers

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