Drone Autonomy: Planning & Controls Engineer

DoorDash USA; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 199,000 - 292,000; Full time

Job summary

DoorDash Labs, the autonomous drone division within DoorDash, is hiring a Planning & Controls Engineer to own flight control, motion planning, and mission planning algorithms for robust delivery drones. You will implement controllers in C++ on embedded platforms, test in flight, and iterate on designs.

The role emphasizes developing controllers for overactuated multirotor/hybrid aircraft, simulating dynamics, and tuning flight software across new platforms, with opportunities to contribute to

Qualifications

• Deep controls fundamentals: linear and nonlinear systems, stability analysis, controller synthesis and tuning, frequency domain analysis.
• Excellent knowledge of C++ and embedded systems.
• Dynamics modeling and simulation with aerodynamics knowledge.
• Experience developing and tuning flight controllers, interfacing with state estimation.
• Knowledge of motion planning algorithms (trajectory optimization, nonlinear optimization, A*/D*/RRT).
• Experience with sensorless brushless DC motor control.
• Built or owned a robot control stack end-to-end, from design through hardware testing.

Responsibilities

• Develop and tune low-level flight control algorithms for overactuated multirotor and hybrid aircraft on embedded platforms.
• Own the dynamics simulation and aerodynamics modeling of the aircraft.
• Bring up and tune flight controllers on new drone platforms.
• Develop, tune, and test fault-tolerant control (loss of motors, safe landing, emergency behaviors).
• Build a trajectory motion planner for smooth flight and obstacle avoidance within the operating envelope.
• Help develop the high-level mission route planner with fallback locations.

Skills

C++

Embedded systems

Flight controls

Motion planning

State estimation

Dynamics modeling

Aerodynamics

Robot control stack

Control theory

Education

MS/PhD in EE/ME/CS/Robotics

Tools

PX4 internals

Job description

DoorDash Labs, the autonomous drone division within DoorDash, is hiring a Planning & Controls Engineer to own flight control, motion planning, and mission planning algorithms for robust delivery drones. You will implement controllers in C++ on embedded platforms, test in flight, and iterate on designs.

The role emphasizes developing controllers for overactuated multirotor/hybrid aircraft, simulating dynamics, and tuning flight software across new platforms, with opportunities to contribute to