Senior Controls Engineer – Autonomous Robotics

Knightscope, Inc; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, dental, vision

401(k)

Paid time off

Job summary

Knightscope, Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA, seeks a Senior Controls Engineer to design, implement, and test motion planning and control algorithms for autonomous robotic platforms.

You will work across planning, vehicle control, and system integration, collaborating with perception and localization teams to deliver robust navigation solutions. This on-site role combines algorithm development with hands-on testing in a startup environment.

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in Controls, Robotics, Optimization, Path Planning, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering; BS with strong industry experience may be considered.
• 5+ years of full-time industry experience in robotics, autonomous systems, automotive, aerospace, or related engineering fields.
• Experience developing control systems for robotic or autonomous platforms.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain robot motion planning algorithms including trajectory generation, collision avoidance, and path planning.
• Design and implement control algorithms for robotic and vehicle systems (PID control, MPC, LQR, trajectory tracking).
• Implement and maintain state estimation methods such as Kalman Filters / Extended Kalman Filters.
• Develop and tune mid-level and low-level vehicle control systems including steering, speed, and trajectory tracking.
• Work with perception, localization, and systems teams to integrate planning and control modules.
• Support development of navigation behaviors for autonomous robots operating in real environments.
• Analyze system logs and telemetry data to evaluate and improve performance.
• Participate in robot integration, debugging, and field testing.
• Develop internal tools for testing, validation, and performance analysis.
• Contribute to rapid prototyping and iterative development in a startup environment.

Skills

C++

Python

Matlab/Simulink

Kalman Filters

MPC

LQR

Trajectory planning

Robot hardware

Education

PhD or MS in Controls/Robotics/Optimization/Path Planning/ME/EE

Bachelor's degree with strong industry experience

Tools

Git

CAN

Ethernet

Simulink

Job description

Knightscope, Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA, seeks a Senior Controls Engineer to design, implement, and test motion planning and control algorithms for autonomous robotic platforms.

You will work across planning, vehicle control, and system integration, collaborating with perception and localization teams to deliver robust navigation solutions. This on-site role combines algorithm development with hands-on testing in a startup environment.