Senior Motor Controls Engineer

Albedo; Broomfield (CO); On-site; USD 170,000 - 188,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

401k matching

Health insurance

Parental leave

Flexible vacation

Company holidays

Job summary

Albedo is seeking a primary motor-controls specialist in Colorado to own the derivation and tuning of control algorithms for BLDC and stepper mechanisms on our spacecraft. This is a controls-first role, building motion control from the ground up and aligning with mechanisms, electrical, firmware, and GN&C teams to take actuators from bench to flight.

Your work directly ties actuator performance to orbit-level capabilities, translating motion to mission outcomes.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to develop motor control algorithms from scratch.
• Strong fundamentals: motor physics, commutation, FOC, and feedback selection.
• Experience with BLDC/PMSM and stepper motor topologies.
• Experience from sensorless to encoder feedback and data-driven analysis.

Responsibilities

• Derive, implement, and tune control algorithms for BLDC/PMSM and stepper drives.
• Own commutation and field‑oriented control (FOC) across the full envelope.
• Tune and validate our motor controller against performance and reliability requirements.
• Evaluate control strategies and quantify performance/cost/reliability trade‑offs.
• Design and run bench experiments; characterize motors and drives from data.
• Diagnose cross‑domain issues across mechanical, electrical, and firmware boundaries.
• Build calibration tooling, telemetry, fault handling, and documentation for the team.

Skills

Motor control algorithms

Controls fundamentals

Sensorless to encoder feedback

Data-driven experimentation

Tools

Embedded C/C++

Motor-control electronics design

RS422 interfaces

Job description

Be one of the Bedo 100

Albedo is making Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) mainstream, building the infrastructure to enable every satellite mission to enter this new orbital domain. We build buses, integrated satellites, and turnkey missions for customers to thrive in VLEO, below 300 km, where proximity compounds performance and drag self‑cleans debris.

As part of the first 100 employees at Albedo, you will have a big impact on Albedo’s trajectory to proliferating VLEO — whether you’re advancing hardware to increase satellite longevity, scaling production for large constellations, building next‑gen flight and ground software to push performance, or enabling missions that matter for national security and our day‑to‑day life here on Earth.

How We Operate

Albedo takes a first‑principles approach — in space and in business. We move with speed, take calculated risks, and learn quickly. We use AI regularly to create leverage in every discipline across the company. We work in‑person at our Broomfield, CO HQ to maximize team and company productivity. We work hard and with urgency to compound our first‑mover advantage.

Who We're Looking For

Builders who want to own outcomes, not tasks. Systems thinkers who balance precision with iteration while thinking about the big picture. Individuals who are energized by creating a category rather than competing in an existing one. You’ll join a team that has already proven what others said wasn’t feasible and is now scaling and upgrading our VLEO buses & payloads to serve mission sets across sensing, communications, and responsive operations.

About The Role

You’ll be Albedo's primary motor‑controls specialist, owning the derivation and tuning of control algorithms for BLDC‑ and stepper‑driven mechanisms across our spacecraft. This is a controls‑first role: you will develop motor control algorithms from the ground up and tune the motor controller we select / develop internally, working shoulder‑to‑shoulder with mechanisms, electrical, firmware, and GN&C engineers to take our actuators from bench to flight.

Your work connects directly to the performance of our vehicles. You’ll design with the mission in mind — translating motion at the actuator into performance capability on orbit — so the control you build is measured by what it lets the spacecraft do.

What You'll Do

• Derive, implement, and tune control algorithms for BLDC/PMSM and stepper‑driven mechanisms: current/torque, velocity, and position loops, from first principles.
• Own commutation and field‑oriented control (FOC): feedback selection, discrete‑time control design, loop stability, and tuning across the full operating envelope.
• Tune and validate our internally developed motor controller against performance, thermal, and reliability requirements.
• Evaluate alternative control strategies and quantify the performance / cost / reliability trade‑offs.
• Design and run instrumented bench experiments and automated tests; characterize motors and drives from motion and current data.
• Diagnose cross‑domain issues, resonance, lost motion, feedback errors, overheating, faults — across the mechanical, electrical, and firmware boundary.
• Build calibration tooling, telemetry, fault handling, and documentation the rest of the team can rely on.

What We're Looking For

• Proven ability to develop motor control algorithms from scratch, not just integrate or tune existing drives. This is the core of the role.
• Strong controls fundamentals: motor physics, commutation and FOC, feedback selection, discrete‑time control, loop stability, and tuning.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve smooth motion at low and near‑zero speeds for low‑disturbance precision operation.
• Experience across BLDC/PMSM and stepper motor topologies.
• Experience across the full range of position/feedback sensing, from sensorless through Hall, resolvers, and incremental/absolute encoders.
• An experimental, data‑driven approach using motion data, analysis tools, and oscilloscopes.
• Independent engineering judgment and clear communication across disciplines.

Nice To Have

• Embedded C/C++ and the ability to debug motor‑control firmware and hardware (PWM/ADC timing, current sensing, encoder/resolver interfaces).
• Experience designing custom motor‑control electronics / servo‑drive hardware, power stages, gate drives, and controller boards.
• Familiarity with RS422 and other serial/command and differential‑signaling interfaces.
• Regenerative‑energy management and EMC troubleshooting.
• Aerospace, robotics, or other high‑reliability electromechanical product experience.

Salary Range

• $170,000 - $188,348 per year

Compensation And Benefits For Full-Time Roles

• Employee friendly equity compensation
• 4% direct matching 401k
• Health Insurance: 100% employee coverage & 75% dependent coverage
• Parental leave and childcare coverage
• Flexible vacation and sick time from day one
• 12 company holidays

  AI Disclosure

  We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to support and enhance our recruitment process. This includes recording, transcribing, analyzing, and evaluating your interview responses to ensure accurate, consistent, and efficient assessment of job‑related skills, knowledge, and abilities. While AI tools may assist in this process, our human recruiting and hiring teams make all hiring decisions. For questions about AI use in interviews, data handling, or to request accommodations, contact [e-mail]

  Additional Requirements

  In compliance with federal law, all persons hired must verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. All persons hired will be required to be a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., or a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

  Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

  Albedo is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

  Relocation

  Relocation support for this position is available

  Applicants must be a U.S. Person as defined under 22 CFR 120.62

  Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other underrepresented people tend to only apply when they meet 100% of the criteria. At Albedo, we'd rather hear from you. We care more about how you think than which boxes you check. We value people who do the math, make their assumptions explicit, and ask the annoying questions: what breaks, what's the failure mode, what has to be true for this to work?