Senior Robotics Controls Engineer — Hardware-in-the-Loop

Aurelius Systems; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary + equity

Health care coverage

PTO + sick leave

Travel to field test events

E-bike / scooter stipend

Daily lunches and office snacks

Job summary

Aurelius Systems, a defense tech startup in San Francisco, seeks a senior IC controls engineer to own the precision pointing and tracking loops, state estimation, and the closed‑loop integration with the tracker. You will work hands‑on with hardware, model‑to‑hardware iteration, Kalman filters, and real‑time control strategies in a fast‑paced startup setting.

The role emphasizes hardware‑in‑the‑loop development, Actuator tuning, and system identification, with opportunities to influence a range

Qualifications

• MS/PhD in engineering field with hands-on robotics experience.
• BS with strong hands-on robotics experience welcomed.
• PhD with a real shipping record is welcome.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and tuning of the precision pointing and tracking control loops.
• Handle closed loop tracking from sensor input to actuator command at high frequency.
• Manage state estimation across IMU, encoder, and vision feedback (Kalman filters).
• Model and identify gimbal, mount, and actuator dynamics.
• Tune actuators, apply gain scheduling, and compensate nonlinearities.
• Develop simulation infrastructure and hardware-in-the-loop test setup.
• Characterize system against real targets and document controls standards.

Skills

Robotics experience

Classical controls

State-space LQR MPC

Real-time C++

Python or MATLAB/Simulink

Kalman filters/state estimation

System identification

Motion control hardware

Sensor fusion

Latency and jitter analysis

Education

MS in Mechanical/Electrical/Aerospace/Robotics

BS with hands-on robotics experience

PhD with shipping record welcome

Tools

Hardware-in-the-loop

Servo drives

Brushless motors

Encoders

IMUs

Job description

Aurelius Systems, a defense tech startup in San Francisco, seeks a senior IC controls engineer to own the precision pointing and tracking loops, state estimation, and the closed‑loop integration with the tracker. You will work hands‑on with hardware, model‑to‑hardware iteration, Kalman filters, and real‑time control strategies in a fast‑paced startup setting.

The role emphasizes hardware‑in‑the‑loop development, Actuator tuning, and system identification, with opportunities to influence a range