Senior Controls Engineer

SR2; Reading; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

SR2 in Reading is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer to own advanced control algorithms for high-performance electromechanical systems in a UK defence startup.

You will focus on motor control and Field-Oriented Control (FOC), working with embedded software and hardware engineers to turn first-principles models into production-ready code, with expansion into complex servo and multi-axis control over time.

Qualifications

• Strong practical Field-Oriented Control (FOC) experience.
• First-principles plant modelling and control system design.
• MATLAB / Simulink and Model-Based Design.
• Experience developing models suitable for automatic code generation.
• System identification and parameter estimation using real test data.
• Experience taking control algorithms through to production or qualified prototype.
• Strong hands-on testing, instrumentation and control system debugging.
• Ability to work closely with embedded firmware and electronic hardware teams.
• SC Eligibility (Dual British & NATO nationalities considered).
• Servo / motion control, including position, velocity and current loops.
• Trajectory generation and multi-axis control.
• Sensorless motor control and observer design.
• Kalman filtering or other state-estimation techniques.
• Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) development and validation.
• Encoders, resolvers, Hall sensors and other position/speed sensing technologies.
• Real-time embedded control implementation.
• Experience with complex dynamic systems such as robotics, aerospace, automotive or other high-performance applications.
• Comfortable operating in a less structured environment.

Responsibilities

• Hands-on role spanning modelling, algorithm development and physical system validation.
• Take technical ownership of control algorithms from first principles to production-ready implementation.
• Collaborate with embedded firmware and hardware engineers to integrate control solutions.
• Extend the scope to advanced servo, motion and multi-axis control as projects evolve.
• Support rigorous testing, validation and HIL workflows across systems.

Skills

Field-Oriented Control

Plant modelling

MATLAB / Simulink

Model-based design

System identification

Production-ready algorithms

Testing & debugging

Embedded collaboration

Servo / motion control

Trajectory generation

Sensorless motor control

Kalman filtering

HIL development

Encoders / sensors

Real-time embedded

High-performance applications

Job description

We’re looking for a Senior Controls Engineer to take technical ownership of advanced control algorithms for high-performance electromechanical systems for a UK defence start up.

The initial focus will be motor control and Field-Oriented Control (FOC), working closely with embedded software and electronic hardware engineers to develop production-ready control algorithms from first principles. Over time, the scope will broaden into more complex servo, motion and multi-axis control applications.

Skills & Experience

• Strong practical Field-Oriented Control (FOC) experience
• First-principles plant modelling and control system design
• MATLAB / Simulink and Model-Based Design
• Experience developing models suitable for automatic code generation
• System identification and parameter estimation using real test data
• Experience taking control algorithms through to production or qualified prototype
• Strong hands-on testing, instrumentation and control system debugging
• Ability to work closely with embedded firmware and electronic hardware teams
• SC Eligibility (Dual British & NATO nationalities considered)
• Servo / motion control, including position, velocity and current loops
• Trajectory generation and multi-axis control
• Sensorless motor control and observer design
• Kalman filtering or other state-estimation techniques
• Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) development and validation
• Encoders, resolvers, Hall sensors and other position/speed sensing technologies
• Real-time embedded control implementation
• Experience with complex dynamic systems such as robotics, aerospace, automotive or other high-performance applications
• Comfortable operating in a less structured environment

Additional Information

• Permanent, full-time position
• Competitive salary depending on experience
• Reading based, onsite
• Senior individual-contributor position with significant technical ownership
• Hands-on role spanning modelling, algorithm development and physical system validation
• Scope to work on increasingly complex control and electromechanical systems