Senior Robotics Controls Engineer

Alert Venture Foundry; North Billerica (MA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Alert Venture Foundry (AVF) is seeking a Senior Robotics Controls Engineer to own advanced control system development for high‑precision robotic platforms. This on‑site role in Billerica, MA, four days per week, requires leading modeling, state estimation, and real‑world validation to achieve robust performance in challenging environments.

The ideal candidate has 5–8 years in robotics controls, deep nonlinear control expertise, hands‑on state estimation, and strong C++/Python skills.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of robotics control experience.
• Deep expertise in nonlinear control & stability.
• Hands-on state estimation & sensor fusion.
• Strong C++ and Python for real-time control.
• Practical experience tuning controllers on real hardware.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement advanced control systems for 6DoF motion and environmental interaction.
• Develop control strategies for contact-rich behaviors—pushing, sliding, force application.
• Design force/impedance/hybrid control and compliant control methods.
• Tune controllers for aerial platforms under disturbances and external forces.
• Lead system modeling and identification for coupled dynamics (vehicle + payload).
• Build state estimation and sensor fusion pipelines (IMU, vision, force/torque).
• Develop Bayesian and optimization-based state estimation tools.
• Create health-monitoring and diagnostics tooling for iterative tuning.
• Collaborate with autonomy and perception teams to integrate control with planning.
• Validate systems in simulation and real-world environments; ensure robustness.

Skills

Robotics control

Nonlinear control

State estimation

Sensor fusion

C++/Python

Real-world testing

Dynamic systems

Education

MS or PhD in Robotics/Controls

Tools

ROS/ROS2

PX4

MAVLink

Job description

Alert Venture Foundry (AVF) is building next-generation robotic systems that operate with precision in the real world. Our platforms span aerial and ground-based systems, with a focus on enabling machines to interact physically with their environment—not just navigate through it.

We’re seeking a Senior Robotics Controls Engineer to own the development of advanced control systems for robotic platforms requiring high‑precision, force‑aware interaction. This includes systems that behave like robotic manipulators in free space—capable of accurate 6DoF positioning, controlled contact, force application, and dynamic interaction with objects and environments.

This is a deeply technical, high‑ownership role. You will define control architecture, lead system modeling, and drive real‑world performance across AVF’s ventures. The ideal candidate has approximately 5–8 years of hands‑on experience in robotics controls and is ready to step into a lead technical role. This role is on‑site in Billerica, MA, four days per week.

What You’ll Do:

• Architect and implement advanced control systems for robotic platforms requiring precise 6DoF motion and environmental interaction.
• Develop control strategies enabling contact‑rich behaviors—pushing, sliding, force application, and constrained motion.
• Design and implement force and impedance control, hybrid position‑force control, and compliant control strategies for dynamic systems.
• Develop and tune controllers for aerial platforms performing manipulation‑like tasks, including stabilization under external forces and contact disturbances.
• Lead system modeling and identification efforts, including dynamics of coupled systems (vehicle + payload + environment).
• Build and integrate state estimation and sensor fusion pipelines using IMU, vision, and force/torque sensing to support high‑precision control.
• Design and maintain Bayesian and optimization‑based approaches (e.g., Kalman filtering, MCMC, factor graphs) for robust state estimation.
• Build analysis and health‑monitoring tooling (e.g., vibration PSD, loop‑response identification) to support iterative tuning and fleet‑wide diagnostics.
• Collaborate with autonomy and perception teams to integrate control with planning, localization, and environmental understanding.
• Validate systems in simulation and real‑world environments, ensuring robustness under uncertainty and disturbance.
• Guide real‑time control system decisions, including integration with embedded platforms and middleware.
• Mentor junior engineers and establish best practices in control design, testing, and deployment.

What We’re Looking For:

Required:

• 5–8 years of experience in robotics control systems, with a demonstrated track record of deploying advanced controllers on real‑world platforms.
• Deep expertise in control theory: nonlinear control, stability analysis, and control of underactuated or dynamic systems.
• Hands‑on experience with state estimation and sensor fusion—Kalman filters, factor graph optimization, or similar.
• Strong C++ and/or Python programming skills with real‑time control implementation experience.
• Practical experience tuning and validating controllers on physical hardware (aerial, ground, or manipulation platforms).
• Strong intuition for the gap between simulation and real‑world performance.
• MS or PhD in Robotics, Controls, or a closely related field.

Preferred:

• Experience with robotics middleware and control stacks: ROS/ROS2, MAVLink, PX4, or equivalent.
• Experience with aerial robotics, including large‑airframe or heavy‑lift UAV systems.
• Experience with force/torque sensing, impedance/admittance control, or manipulation.
• Exposure to Bayesian hyperparameter optimization, MCMC data association, or probabilistic robotics methods.
• Experience building post‑flight diagnostics, vibration analysis, or health‑monitoring tooling.
• Model predictive control (MPC) or optimization‑based control framework experience.
• Embedded systems background: PCB design, firmware (C), real‑time OS, or hardware bring‑up.

Why AVF?

• Work on next‑generation robotic systems that go beyond navigation into real‑world interaction and manipulation.
• Define control architecture for platforms that blur the line between aerial systems and robotic manipulators.
• Collaborate with a highly technical team spanning autonomy, embedded systems, and mechanical design.
• Operate in a high‑ownership environment where your work directly shapes the capabilities of new ventures.

AVF is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds who are excited to push the boundaries of robotics, control systems, and physical intelligence.