Senior Controls Engineer – Robotics & Autonomous Systems

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

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

401(k)

Paid time off

Job summary

Knightscope is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer to advance motion planning and control for autonomous robotic platforms. You will design, implement, and test algorithms enabling safe navigation and robust vehicle control across planning, mid-level, and hardware layers.

The role emphasizes hands-on testing, startup-style rapid prototyping, and collaboration with perception, localization, and systems teams to deliver robust autonomy in real-world environments.

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in Controls, Robotics, Optimization, Path Planning, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering (BS with strong experience may be considered).
• 5+ years of full-time robotics/autonomous systems experience.
• Experience developing control systems for robotic or autonomous platforms.
• Strong understanding of control theory, dynamic systems, and vehicle/robot dynamics.
• Experience with PID, MPC, LQR, and trajectory tracking controllers.
• Experience with Kalman Filters / Extended Kalman Filters.
• Programming in C++ and/or Python, MATLAB/Simulink.
• Experience with robotics hardware, sensors, and embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain motion planning algorithms including trajectory generation and collision avoidance.
• Design and implement control algorithms for robotic and vehicle systems (PID, MPC, LQR, trajectory tracking).
• Implement and maintain state estimation methods (Kalman Filters).
• Develop and tune mid-level and low-level vehicle control systems (steering, speed, trajectory tracking).
• Integrate planning and control modules with perception, localization, and systems teams.
• Support robot integration, testing, and field validation.
• Develop internal tools for testing, validation, and performance analysis.

Skills

C++

Python

Matlab/Simulink

Control theory

Robotics

Education

PhD or MS in Controls/Robotics/Engineering

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

CAN/Ethernet

Git

Job description

Knightscope is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer to advance motion planning and control for autonomous robotic platforms. You will design, implement, and test algorithms enabling safe navigation and robust vehicle control across planning, mid-level, and hardware layers.

The role emphasizes hands-on testing, startup-style rapid prototyping, and collaboration with perception, localization, and systems teams to deliver robust autonomy in real-world environments.