Senior/Staff Controls Engineer

Kindredventures; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 193,930 - 352,290; Full time

Job summary

Nuro is seeking a Senior/Staff Controls Engineer to design and deploy production controls software powering L4 autonomous driving across diverse environments. The role bridges upstream autonomy with the physical vehicle platform and requires safety-focused implementation for real-world deployments.

You will work with autonomy, hardware, and systems teams to solve complex problems, advancing control strategies and validating them on real vehicles globally.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in mechanical, electrical, aerospace, robotics, or related field.
• 5+ years of industry experience, including 3+ years on L2+ or higher automated driving controls software at scale.
• Deep knowledge of vehicle dynamics, controls theory, and control strategy development and testing.
• Implementation experience with classical and modern controls methods and/or ML for Controls.
• Strong embedded C (preferred) or C++ programming skills.
• Strong foundation in math (geometry, calculus, probability) and physics (kinematics, dynamics).
• Comfortable with GenAI-assisted workflows (e.g. Claude Code, Gemini, Cursor).
• Proven ability to collaborate across teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop production-level control software following safety standards (ISO 26262).
• Develop interactions between planner and controller and advanced control strategies for expanded ODD from parking lots to highways.
• Integrate controls stack with new vehicle platforms.
• Explore ML for vehicle dynamics and controls to improve performance and bringups.
• Collaborate with engineers across hardware, software, autonomy, testing and system teams.

Skills

Embedded C/C++

Vehicle dynamics

Controls theory

Math & physics

ML for controls

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Self-starter

Education

MS or PhD in relevant field

Job description

Who We Are

Nuro believes self-driving vehicles are the most immediate and profound opportunity for AI to drive positive change in the physical world. Safer streets, more time for what matters, and easier access to the world around us, that’s why we’re building a universal autonomy platform: self-driving for all roads and all rides.

Founded in 2016, Nuro is a physical AI company developing Level 4 autonomous driving technology for a wide range of vehicles, use cases, and markets. Powered by the Nuro Driver™, our universal autonomy platform enables the global mobility ecosystem to deploy autonomy at scale, from robotaxis and logistics fleets to personal vehicles.

With years of real-world deployment experience and a flexible, partner-led business model, Nuro is working toward a future where millions of autonomous vehicles powered by our technology help make everyday life safer, easier, and more connected.

Nuro has raised over $2B in capital from Uber, NVIDIA, Google, Softbank, Fidelity, T. Rowe Price, and other leading investors.

About the Role

Controller is the critical link between Nuro Driver's upstream autonomy stack and physical vehicle platform — translating planned trajectories into safe, precise, real-world motions. As a Senior/Staff Controls Engineer, you'll design and deploy production controls software that powers L4 autonomous driving across an expanding operational design domain, from parking lots to highways, in all weather and road conditions. You'll work alongside world-class engineers across autonomy, hardware, and systems to solve problems that don't have textbook answers and see your work running on real vehicles globally.

About the Work

• Develop robust, reliable and optimized production-level control software following safety standards (ISO 26262).


• Develop seamless interactions between planner and controller and advanced control strategies for expanded ODD including parking lot maneuvers through highway driving under various weather conditions and road surfaces.


• Integrate controls stack with new vehicle platforms.


• Explore Machine Learning for vehicle dynamics and controls to improve vehicle performance, drivability and reduced time for new vehicle platform bringups.


• Collaborate closely with engineers across hardware, base software, upstream autonomy, vehicle testing and system teams.

About You

• MS or Ph.D. (preferred) in mechanical, mechatronics, electrical, aerospace, robotics, or a closely related field.


• 5+ years of industry experience, including 3+ years focusing on developing and deploying L2+ or higher level automated driving controls software at scale.


• Deep knowledge of vehicle dynamics, controls theory, and control strategy development and testing.


• Implementation experience with classical and modern controls methods and/or ML for Controls.


• Strong embedded C (preferred) or C++ programming skills.


• Strong foundation in math (geometry, calculus, probability) and physics (kinematics, dynamics), and analytical skills.


• Comfortable working with GenAI-assisted engineering workflows (e.g. Claude Code, Gemini, Cursor).


• Proven ability to collaborate within and across teams.


• Deep knowledge in vehicle dynamics, controls theories, control strategy development and testing.


• Effective oral and written communication skills.


• Passionate about solving real-world challenging autonomous driving problems.


• Self-starter with strong drive, accountability, and the ability to adapt quickly to new problems

At Nuro, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. For this position, the reasonably expected pay range is between $193,930 and $352,290/year for the level(s) at which this job has been scoped. Your base pay will depend on several factors, including your experience, qualifications, education, location, and skills. In the event that you are considered for a different level, a higher or lower pay range would apply. This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus, equity, and a competitive benefits package.

At Nuro, we celebrate differences and are committed to a diverse workplace that fosters inclusion and psychological safety for all employees. Nuro is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and expressly prohibits any form of workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics. #li-dnp