Controls Engineer Torrance, CA

Salient Motion, Inc.; Torrance, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

Flexible PTO

401K

Equity

Job summary

Salient Motion, Inc. in Torrance, CA is hiring an entry-level Motion Control Engineer to design and maintain embedded firmware for motion control and motor drive products.

This role emphasizes a strong software foundation and growth into motor control and control-loop design within a fast-paced aerospace environment. You will collaborate with experienced controls and firmware engineers, translating concepts into robust, production-ready code and contributing to firmware verification, test plans,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in EE, CE, CS or related field.
• 2–4 years embedded firmware experience in motion control.
• Strong C programming and firmware architecture fundamentals.
• Experience with microcontrollers, interrupts, timers, and comms (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN).
• Git and collaborative software workflows.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain embedded firmware for motion control and motor drive products, primarily in C.
• Contribute to system architecture decisions for control firmware modules, with an eye toward maintainability, testability, and real-time performance.
• Translate control algorithms into well-structured, production-quality firmware, working closely with senior engineering staff.
• Participate in code reviews, static analysis, and unit/integration testing to uphold firmware quality standards.
• Support bring-up, debug, and validation of control firmware on hardware in the lab.
• Document firmware architecture, module interfaces, and design decisions.
• Assist in specifying and executing firmware verification test plans.

Skills

Embedded firmware

C programming

Version control (Git)

Debugging

Real-time systems

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or CS

Tools

FreeRTOS

ThreadX

Simulink/Embedded Coder

Job description

**Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) to meet customer and regulatory requirements**

Who We Are

We are pioneering modular motion technologies to power the next generation of innovation for Industrial, Aerospace and Defense. If you're excited about disrupting legacy industries, and passionate about building next generation technology, let's chat!

We are at the forefront of innovation, crafting exclusive motion control components that propel the industrial, aerospace, and defense sectors into the future.

A couple other things:

• We are open to relocating you
• We have great benefits
• We are well funded, and generating revenue
• We are located in beautiful Torrance, CA and just moved into a new large hangar facility

Role Summary

We are hiring an entry-level Motion Control Engineer to help build and maintain the embedded firmware that powers our
motion control and motor drive products. This role is built for someone with a strong software/firmware foundation — solid C,
an instinct for clean system architecture — who is eager to grow into motor control and control-loop design in a fast-paced
aerospace environment. You'll work alongside experienced controls and firmware engineers, turning control concepts into
robust, production-quality embedded code.

What you'll do

• Design, implement, and maintain embedded firmware for motion control and motor drive products, primarily in C.
• Contribute to system architecture decisions for control firmware modules, with an eye toward maintainability, testability,
  and real-time performance.
• Translate control algorithms into well-structured, production-quality firmware, working closely with senior engineering staff.
• Participate in code reviews, static analysis, and unit/integration testing to uphold firmware quality standards.
• Support bring-up, debug, and validation of control firmware on hardware in the lab.
• Document firmware architecture, module interfaces, and design decisions.
• Assist in specifying and executing firmware verification test plans.

What you need

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 2-4 years of professional experience in embedded firmware development related to Motion Control.
• Strong proficiency in C, with a solid grasp of firmware/software architecture principles (modularity, abstraction layers, state
  machines).
• Familiarity with embedded systems fundamentals: microcontrollers, interrupts, timers, and communication protocols (SPI,
  I2C, UART, CAN).
• Strong problem-solving skills and a genuine interest in learning control theory and motor control fundamentals on the job.
• Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git) and collaborative software development workflows.

Nice to Haves

• Exposure to motor control concepts (field-oriented control, PWM generation, current/position sensing).
• Familiarity with motion control loop design and digital filter design (PI/PID tuning, notch/biquad filters, Bode/FRF analysis).
• Experience with an RTOS (FreeRTOS, ThreadX, or similar).
• Familiarity with model-based design or code-generation workflows (e.g., Simulink/Embedded Coder).
• Exposure to unit testing frameworks for embedded C (Unity, CppUTest, or similar).
• Coursework or project experience in feedback control systems.

Export Control

• This role supports aerospace programs and may involve export-controlled information or hardware. Candidates must be able to
  comply with applicable export control laws and access requirements.

What we have to offer

We are not just building components. We are reshaping the future of the Aerospace and Defense component industry, which is a $300B+ market! Come join us and help build next generation systems that will make a massive impact at global scale.

• We offer competitive compensation: $120,000 to $140,000 base salary + equity
• Exceptional healthcare benefits, Medical is 100% covered by the company
• Flexible PTO
• 401K
• More to come!