Robotics - Control Engineer

ETH Zurich; Zürich; On-site; CHF 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Spin-off opportunity

Field testing at real sites

Job summary

ETH Zurich's Way of Water project seeks an early-career project-staff engineer to own how autonomous surface robots move, sense, and recover in real-world outdoor water environments. You will turn ideas into working software on real hardware and design experiments to validate your approaches.

The role emphasizes hands-on control, field days at Lake Zürich and partner sites, and collaboration with a team of robotics engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs.

Qualifications

• 0–5 years of hands-on experience after your degree (early-career project-staff role)
• Background in robotics, control, mechanical or electrical engineering, computer science, or equivalent
• Experience shipping behaviour on real robots or cyber-physical systems, not only simulation
• Hands-on software development and debugging with real hardware (bench bring-up, field trials, logs)
• Comfort writing and debugging software that talks to hardware (C/C++, Python)
• Judgement under incomplete information; ability to measure, decide and iterate
• Appetite for outdoor and on-water testing (Lake Zürich and partner sites)
• Independent working style and documentation habits to scale a small team

Responsibilities

• Own the behaviour of physical robots: movement, intent, coordination and graceful failure
• Turn ideas into working software on real hardware and harden it via experiments you design and run
• Work at the seams with sensors, actuators, mechanical limits and electrical realities
• Make testing and commissioning repeatable and reliable for the team
• Share learnings with clear notes and teachable setups for students and colleagues

Skills

C/C++

Python

Robotics

ROS/ROS 2

Embedded systems

Field testing

Education

Degree in robotics/engineering/computer science

Tools

ROS 2

Job description

Join Way of Water, a funded field-robotics project at ETH Zurich (Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control, Research D'Andrea). This is a project employee (staff) role: you come in to deliver engineering work for the life of the project. It is not a PhD position and not an academic training track. We build autonomous surface robots that have to work outdoors, on real water, as a team — not only in the lab.

This role is for someone with a control and systems bent who wants ownership, not a fixed checklist. You will shape how robots move, sense and recover when the world is messy. The brief will widen as the fleet, software and field programme grow. Specialization helps you start strong. Curiosity across the stack is how you grow into more.

Compensation is competitive for a funded project role and depends on experience.

• Own the behaviour of physical robots: how they move, hold intent, coordinate and fail gracefully.
• Turn ideas into working software on real hardware, then harden it with experiments you help design and run.
• Work at the seams with sensors, actuators, mechanical limits and electrical realities. Close loops from field evidence back into better behaviour.
• Make testing and commissioning something the team can repeat, not a one-off heroics exercise.
• Share what you learn: clear notes, teachable setups, and room for students and colleagues to build on your work.

Profile

• About 0–5 years of hands-on experience after your degree. Internships, thesis projects, Focus projects and paid project work count. This is an early-career project-staff role.
• A background in robotics, control, mechanical or electrical engineering, computer science, or equivalent practice. Depth in dynamics, estimation or control of physical systems.
• Evidence you have shipped behaviour on real robots (or comparable cyber-physical systems), not only simulation.
• Hands-on work is required, not optional: you write, run and debug software on real hardware yourself — bench bring-up, field trials, logs and measurements — not desk-only or simulation-only work.
• Comfort writing and debugging software that talks to hardware (for example C/C++, Python, or similar).
• Judgement under incomplete information: you investigate, measure, decide, and iterate.
• Appetite for outdoor and on-water testing. Field days are part of the job, including Lake Zürich and partner sites.
• An independent working style, and documentation habits that help a small team scale.

We care more about how you think and what you have finished than about a matching keyword list. This is project engineering work, not a doctorate. Experience with ROS/ROS 2, embedded or real-time constraints, multi-robot systems, or published technical work is welcome if you have it.

Workplace

We offer

How you grow here

You start with a control and autonomy focus. Over the project, the work naturally reaches into estimation, planning interfaces, system integration, field campaigns, and safety-minded verification. Mechanical and electronics colleagues own their layers. You learn enough of theirs to integrate well. Growth here means broader robotics craft and ownership inside a fixed-term project. There may separately be an opportunity to join a planned spin-off early if that is a mutual fit after or alongside project delivery.

Working with the team

You will also work closely with established entrepreneurs, world-class scientists, and engineers who are artists. They are people who have built a billion-dollar company, sent hardware to the International Space Station, and created live performance-art installations at the Venice Biennale.

In line with our values , ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us – we are consistently working towards a climate-neutral future .

Curious? So are we.

Further information about Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control can be found on our website . Questions regarding the position should be directed toAswin Karthik Ramachandran Venkatapathy, [e-mail](no applications).

We would like to point out that the pre-selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising inscience and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education,cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledgeinto society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find ouruniversity to be a place that promotes independent thinking and anenvironment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe,yet forging connections all over the world, we work together todevelop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.