Robotics Software Engineer, Controls

Weave Robotics; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Weave Robotics in San Francisco is seeking a Robotics Software Engineer focused on Controls to translate high-level motion commands into precise, safe robot behavior. You will collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and ML engineers, integrating firmware with custom hardware to enable compliant, force-sensitive motion.

The role emphasizes building real-time control loops, whole-body control strategies, and robust software pipelines for calibration and sensing.

Qualifications

• 3+ years building controllers that ran on real robot hardware.
• Strong understanding of motor control theory with hands-on encoder and sensing experience.
• Proficiency developing embedded software with real-time constraints.
• Experience with embedded interfaces such as SPI, I²C, RS-485, CAN/CAN FD, Ethernet, or EtherCAT.
• Knowledge of embedded safety mechanisms—brownout detection, overcurrent protection, watchdogs, and thermal monitoring.
• Ability to bridge offline tracking plots and real-world performance.

Responsibilities

• Own policy-output-to-joint-commands. Turn action streams into whole-body motion: retiming, smoothing and coordinating both arms, the torso and the base without sacrificing responsiveness.
• Design, implement, and tune hierarchical control systems, including nested feedback control loops.
• Build motor control software from early prototypes through production deployment.
• Build whole-body controllers. Operational-space and impedance control, QP-based whole-body control with contact and joint constraints, and the compliant behaviors that make a bimanual robot safe to work around.
• Architect reliable, high-performance software that meets the timing, safety, and robustness requirements of production robotic systems.
• Build robust pipelines for encoder calibration, current and voltage sensing, filtering, synchronization, and system characterization.

Skills

Robot control on real hardware

Embedded software development

Motor control theory

Encoder calibration & sensing

Embedded interfaces (SPI, I2C, RS-485,

CAN/EtherCAT and Ethernet

Real-time constraints

Thermal monitoring & safety

Performance gap analysis

Tools

Embedded C/C++

RTOS

ROS/ROS2 or similar frameworks

Job description

Join Us, and Ship Robots

Weave was founded to build the robots we’d want to have in our own home. We believe the next generation of robotics will transform everyday life by enabling people to do more and to reclaim time to spend on what’s important.

We also believe robots are in a sense like any other product: to matter, they have to ship. Our robots are already operating in real homes and businesses, giving us the opportunity to rapidly improve from real-world experience. With a growing team, strong customer demand, and capital for expansion, we’re entering an exciting stage of growth—and we’re looking for people with exceptional talent and standards to help bring home robotics to millions of households.

The Role

As a Robotics Software Engineer focusing on Controls, you'll design and develop the control systems that transform high-level motion commands into precise, responsive, and reliable robot behavior. You will work closely with electrical, mechanical, and machine learning engineers, integrating firmware with our custom hardware to enable compliant, force-sensitive motion.

Responsibilities

• Own policy-output-to-joint-commands. Turn action streams into whole-body motion: retiming, smoothing and coordinating both arms, the torso and the base without sacrificing responsiveness.
• Design, implement, and tune hierarchical control systems, including nested feedback control loops.
• Build motor control software from early prototypes through production deployment.
• Build whole-body controllers. Operational-space and impedance control, QP-based whole-body control with contact and joint constraints, and the compliant behaviors that make a bimanual robot safe to work around.
• Architect reliable, high-performance software that meets the timing, safety, and robustness requirements of production robotic systems.
• Build robust pipelines for encoder calibration, current and voltage sensing, filtering, synchronization, and system characterization.

What You’ll Bring

• 3+ years building controllers that ran on real robot hardware, ideally manipulators or legged/mobile platforms.
• Strong understanding of motor control theory with hands-on implementation working with rotary encoders, current sensing, calibration, filtering, and synchronization techniques used for robust feedback control.
• Proficiency developing embedded software with a deep understanding of real-time constraints and low-level peripherals.
• Experience with embedded communication interfaces such as SPI, I²C, RS-485, CAN/CAN FD, Ethernet, or EtherCAT.
• Knowledge of embedded safety mechanisms—including brownout detection, overcurrent protection, watchdogs, and thermal monitoring.
• Excellent instincts for the gap between offline tracking plots and real-world performance.

Nice to Have

• Force control and contact-rich manipulation experience: insertion, wiping, handling deformables.
• MPC or reactive whole-body planning on real hardware.
• Experience with bimanual or humanoid platforms and their coordination problems.
• Comfort working with outputs from a learned policy.