Staff Controls Engineer

Anduril Industries, Inc.; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 191,000 - 253,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking an experienced Motor Control Engineer to design and implement FOC and torque control for BLDC/PMSM motors. You will model, simulate, and validate control strategies using MIL/SIL/HIL workflows, and integrate firmware with microcontroller RTOS and sensors.

The role requires deep knowledge of power electronics, real-time embedded systems, and HIL test setups, offering opportunities to shape critical defense technologies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics, or equivalent hands-on experience
• 10+ years designing and implementing motor control algorithms for BLDC or PMSM motors
• Strong foundation in classical and modern control theory including PID tuning and state estimation
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink and auto-code generation (Embedded Coder or equivalent)
• Experience with real-time embedded code on microcontrollers with hard real-time motor control loops
• Familiarity with HIL integration and real-time simulators
• Knowledge of power electronics and motor control peripherals
• U.S. Person status is required for export-controlled data access (ITAR/EAR)

Responsibilities

• Design and implement FOC, six-step commutation, and direct torque control for BLDC/PMSM motors
• Develop sensorless rotor position estimation techniques for Hall-sensor/encoder-less applications
• Build high-fidelity motor/inverter models and validate with MIL/SIL/HIL simulations
• Integrate auto-coded algorithms with microcontroller RTOS and peripheral drivers
• Perform HIL integration with real-time simulators for controller validation

Skills

Motor control algorithms

Control theory

Embedded code

HIL testing

Real-time systems

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical/Controls/Mechatronics

Hands-on experience

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

PLECS

Embedded Coder

dSPACE

Typhoon HIL

OPAL-RT

Job description

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Hardware Platform Organization is Anduril's central hardware engineering org. We build the shared technologies, tools, and infrastructure that power hardware development across every Anduril division, from actuators and propulsion to batteries, avionics, rocket motors, and test operations. Our teams set engineering standards, run development manufacturing and test sites, and develop core technology products that ship across multiple product lines.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Motor Control Algorithm Development

• Design and implement field-oriented control (FOC), six-step commutation, and direct torque control algorithms for BLDC and PMSM motors
• Develop sensorless rotor position estimation techniques (back-EMF observer, sliding-mode observer, high-frequency injection) for applications where Hall sensors or encoders are not viable
• Design current, speed, and position control loops with rigorous bandwidth, stability margins, and disturbance rejection specifications

Modelling & Simulation (MIL / SIL / HIL)

• Build high-fidelity motor and inverter plant models in MATLAB / Simulink, including magnetic saturation, iron losses, and thermal coupling
• Develop controller models and validate performance through Model-in-the-Loop (MIL) simulation against requirements
• Execute Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) testing using Embedded Coder auto-generated C code to verify fixed-point scaling, quantisation effects, and code-generation fidelity
• Support Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) integration with real-time simulators (dSPACE, Typhoon HIL, or equivalent) for full controller board validation
• Integrate Simulink auto-coded algorithm modules with the microcontroller RTOS, peripheral drivers, and application framework

Firmware & Embedded Systems

• Implement motor control firmware in C on microcontrollers (e.g., STM32, TI C2000, NXP S32K) with hard real-time constraints
• Configure and optimise motor control peripherals: PWM timers, ADC synchronisation, encoder/Hall interfaces, comparator-based overcurrent protection
• Architect firmware for deterministic control loop execution — interrupt prioritisation, DMA pipelines, and minimal-jitter scheduling
• Implement fault detection, diagnosis, and safe-state management in firmware (overcurrent, overvoltage, overtemperature, sensor loss, stall, phase loss)
• Develop communication interfaces (CAN, SPI, UART, RS-485) for command, telemetry, and diagnostics

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics, or equivalent hands‑on experience
• 10+ years of professional experience designing and implementing motor control algorithms (FOC, Trapezoidal, or equivalent) for BLDC or PMSM motors
• Strong foundation in classical and modern control theory — PID tuning, frequency-domain analysis, state estimation, observer design
• Proficiency in MATLAB / Simulink, PLECS for control design, motor modelling, and auto‑code generation (Embedded Coder or equivalent)
• Deep experience writing production-quality embedded code on microcontrollers with hard real-time motor control loops
• Perform Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) integration with real-time simulators
• Working knowledge of power electronics: three‑phase inverter operation, PWM schemes, dead‑time compensation, DC bus dynamics, and loss estimation
• Hands‑on experience with motor control peripherals — ADC triggering, encoder/Hall/resolver interfaces, PWM complementary outputs, hardware overcurrent comparators
• Familiarity with communication protocols: CAN, SPI, I²C, UART, RS-485 etc
• Strong bench skills — oscilloscope, current probe, frequency response analyser, dynamometer or motor test stand
• U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export‑controlled data (ITAR / EAR)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's or PhD with thesis work in motor control, power electronics, or electric machine design
• Experience with sensorless control techniques at low speed and standstill (HFI, pulsating voltage injection)
• Experience with SiC or GaN power device integration and high‑switching‑frequency inverter design
• Experience with real‑time simulation platforms (dSPACE, OPAL‑RT, Typhoon HIL) for HIL validation
• Background in defense, automation, automotive, aerospace, or robotics motor control applications — actuators, gimbal drives, electric propulsion
• Experience with thermal modelling of motors and inverters, I²t protection, and derating algorithms
• Active or ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance

US Salary Range

$191,000 - $253,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top‑tier benefits for full‑time employees, including:

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits .

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Anduril Industries’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.