Low-level Control Engineer

JobsTrackR; East Ham; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Unknown company in London is seeking a Low-Level Control Engineer to join its robotics team. You will develop and tune control software for robotic end-effectors, including grippers, working across actuators, sensors and mechanics to enable precise manipulation.

This hands-on role requires strong C and real-time control experience, knowledge of control theory, and familiarity with ROS2 and EtherCAT/CAN. You will collaborate with hardware and software engineers to deploy reliable end-effectors.

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on C experience.
• Experience developing real-time control software for physical hardware.
• A strong understanding of control theory.
• Experience tuning and validating controllers on real actuators.
• Experience with robotic end-effectors, grippers or manipulation systems.
• Experience working with multi-DoF mechanisms.
• Experience with grasp control and/or manipulation.
• Experience integrating and calibrating sensors.
• Experience debugging hardware and software systems.
• Experience with EtherCAT and/or CAN.
• Experience with ROS2.
• Experience with real-time Linux and/or an RTOS.
• Understanding of kinematics, dynamics, Jacobians and numerical IK/FK.

Responsibilities

• Develop and tune control systems for robotic end-effectors and grippers.
• Develop actuator and joint-level controllers.
• Develop grasping and manipulation behaviours.
• Work with multi-degree-of-freedom end-effectors.
• Model and identify actuators and mechanical mechanisms.
• Account for factors such as compliance, friction and backlash.
• Integrate end-effector sensors including force/torque, tactile, encoder, temperature and current sensing.
• Bring up and debug new end-effector hardware.
• Develop safety and fault-handling functionality.
• Validate control performance on physical robotic hardware.
• Work closely with mechanical, electronics and software engineers.
• Support the transition of end-effector systems from prototype to reliable deployment.

Skills

C

Low-level robotics control

Robotic end-effectors / grippers

Real-time control

ROS2

Control theory

Actuator and joint-level control

Kinematics and dynamics

Hardware integration

Physical robot testing

EtherCAT and/or CAN

Real-time Linux and/or RTOS

Job description

Low-Level Control Engineer

Location: London
Working Pattern: Fully office-based
Employment Type: Permanent
Salary: Competitive

Low-Level Control Engineer – End-Effectors

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Low-Level Control Engineer to join an innovative robotics business developing advanced humanoid robots for real-world applications.

This role focuses specifically on the control and integration of robotic end-effectors, including advanced grippers and manipulation systems.

You will work across low-level control software, actuators, sensors and mechanical systems to develop end-effectors that can reliably interact with objects and perform real-world tasks.

Key Skills

• C
• Low-level robotics control
• Robotic end-effectors / grippers
• Real-time control
• ROS2
• Control theory
• Actuator and joint-level control
• Kinematics and dynamics
• Hardware integration
• Physical robot testing
• EtherCAT and/or CAN
• Real-time Linux and/or RTOS

The Role

As a Low-Level Control Engineer, you will:

• Develop and tune control systems for robotic end-effectors and grippers.
• Develop actuator and joint-level controllers.
• Develop grasping and manipulation behaviours.
• Work with multi-degree-of-freedom end-effectors.
• Model and identify actuators and mechanical mechanisms.
• Account for factors such as compliance, friction and backlash.
• Integrate end-effector sensors including force/torque, tactile, encoder, temperature and current sensing.
• Bring up and debug new end-effector hardware.
• Develop safety and fault-handling functionality.
• Validate control performance on physical robotic hardware.
• Work closely with mechanical, electronics and software engineers.
• Support the transition of end-effector systems from prototype to reliable deployment.

About You

We are looking for a Low-Level Control Engineer with strong experience developing control software for physical robotic or mechatronic systems.

You should have:

• Strong hands-on C experience.
• Experience developing real-time control software for physical hardware.
• A strong understanding of control theory.
• Experience tuning and validating controllers on real actuators.
• Experience with robotic end-effectors, grippers or manipulation systems.
• Experience working with multi-DoF mechanisms.
• Experience with grasp control and/or manipulation.
• Experience integrating and calibrating sensors.
• Experience debugging hardware and software systems.
• Experience with EtherCAT and/or CAN.
• Experience with ROS2.
• Experience with real-time Linux and/or an RTOS.
• Understanding of kinematics, dynamics, Jacobians and numerical IK/FK.

Desirable Experience

Experience with any of the following would be beneficial:

• BLDC motor control.
• ros2_control.
• Cable or tendon-driven mechanisms.
• Underactuated mechanisms.
• Tactile sensing.
• Vacuum or suction tooling.
• System identification.
• MATLAB/Simulink.
• MuJoCo.
• Isaac Sim.

The Opportunity

This is a hands-on opportunity for a Low-Level Control Engineer to work on technically challenging end-effector control within an advanced humanoid robotics environment.

You will work closely with engineers across controls, robotics, software, mechanical and electronics disciplines.

Your work will directly contribute to how robotic end-effectors move, grasp, manipulate and interact with their environment.

If you are a Low-Level Control Engineer with strong C and robotics controls experience, particularly around end-effectors or robotic manipulation, this could be an excellent opportunity to work on advanced humanoid robotics.