Senior Controls Engineer

SR2 | Socially Responsible Recruitment | Certified B Corporation™; Reading; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

SR2 | Socially Responsible Recruitment, on behalf of a UK defence start-up, is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer to own advanced control algorithms for high-performance electromechanical systems. The role centers on motor control and Field-Oriented Control (FOC), collaborating with embedded software and hardware engineers to turn first principles into production-ready solutions.

Over time, the work will expand to servo and multi-axis control, trajectory generation, sensorless estimation, and

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.
• 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: 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 strcutured environment.

Responsibilities

• Take technical ownership of advanced control algorithms for high-performance electromechanical systems.
• Initial focus on motor control and FOC, collaborating with embedded software and hardware engineers to develop production-ready control algorithms from first principles.
• Over time, broaden scope into servo, motion and multi-axis control applications.
• Hands-on role spanning modelling, algorithm development and physical system validation.
• Scope to work on increasingly complex control and electromechanical systems.

Skills

Field-Oriented Control

First-principles modelling

MATLAB/Simulink

Model-Based Design

Code generation models

System identification

Testing & debugging

Embedded collaboration

SC Eligibility

Servo control

Trajectory generation

Multi-axis control

Sensorless control

Kalman filtering

Hardware-in-the-Loop

Position sensing

Real-time control

High-performance applications

Unstructured environment

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 strcutured 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