Senior Robotics Controls Engineer — On-Site, Equity Options

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

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Paid time off

On-site at Sunnyvale HQ

Job summary

Knightscope, Inc. is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer to advance motion planning and control for autonomous robotic platforms. You will design, implement, and test algorithms enabling robots to navigate real-world environments safely and reliably.

The role combines algorithm development with hands-on testing on robotic systems and cross-team collaboration. The ideal candidate has 5+ years in robotics/autonomous systems, deep knowledge of PID/MPC/LQR and state estimation, and proficiency in

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in Controls, Robotics, Optimization, Path Planning, ME, EE or related field; B.S. may be considered with strong experience.
• 5+ years of full-time industry experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or related engineering fields.
• 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, trajectory tracking controllers.
• Experience with state estimation (Kalman Filters).
• Experience with robot motion planning including trajectory generation, collision avoidance, and path planning.
• Programming in C++ and/or Python, MATLAB/Simulink.
• Experience with CAN/Ethernet and logging/instrumentation tools.
• Experience with Git and collaborative software development workflows.
• Hands-on robotics hardware, sensors, and embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain robot 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 such as Kalman Filters.
• Develop and tune mid-level and low-level vehicle control systems (steering, speed, trajectory tracking).
• Collaborate with perception, localization, and systems teams to integrate planning and control modules.
• Support navigation behaviors for autonomous robots in real environments.
• Analyze system logs and telemetry 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

Robot motion planning

Control algorithms

C++

Python

MATLAB/Simulink

Kalman Filters

Model Predictive Control

LQR

Trajectory tracking

Git

CAN/Ethernet

Embedded systems

Education

PhD or MS in Controls/Robotics/ME/EE

BS with strong industry experience

Tools

C++

Python

MATLAB/Simulink

CAN

Ethernet

Git

Job description

Knightscope, Inc. is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer to advance motion planning and control for autonomous robotic platforms. You will design, implement, and test algorithms enabling robots to navigate real-world environments safely and reliably.

The role combines algorithm development with hands-on testing on robotic systems and cross-team collaboration. The ideal candidate has 5+ years in robotics/autonomous systems, deep knowledge of PID/MPC/LQR and state estimation, and proficiency in