Controls Integration Engineer (Motion Control)

Salient Motion•Torrance, CA

About The Position

We are pioneering modular motion technologies to power the next generation of innovation for Industrial, Aerospace and Defense. If you're excited about disrupting legacy industries, and passionate about building next generation technology, let's chat! We are at the forefront of innovation, crafting exclusive motion control components that propel the industrial, aerospace, and defense sectors into the future. We’re hiring a Controls Integration Engineer to bridge controls algorithm development, automated test systems (ATP), and embedded firmware integration for aerospace-grade electrical and motion control products. You’ll take motion control features from simulation and prototype testing into a production firmware environment, while building automated test platforms and traceability artifacts needed for qualification. This is a cross-functional, hands-on role for an early-career engineer who enjoys making controls real: code running on hardware, measured on the bench, automated in test rigs, and packaged with clean evidence and documentation.

Requirements

BS/MS in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Controls, Robotics, Embedded Systems, or equivalent practical experience
Strong fundamentals in control systems (discrete-time intuition, stability concepts, tuning, and loop interactions)
Embedded development experience in C/C++ (real-time timing, interrupts, peripherals, debugging)
Experience writing Python (or similar) for test automation and data analysis
Hands-on lab skills: instrumentation, wiring/bring-up, and debugging signal paths and sensor feedback
Clear technical communication and documentation habits

Nice To Haves

Motion control experience: FOC, current control, observers/estimators, encoder/resolver feedback, commutation strategies
Experience with motor drives/inverters, current sensing, ADC/PWM timing, and fault handling
HIL/SIL experience or building automated bench test rigs with DAQ/instrument control
Familiarity with protocols such as CAN/CANopen, EtherCAT, UART/I2C/SPI, and RS-485
Ability to build lightweight internal tools or dashboards (e.g., React, web apps) to streamline test execution and data review
Exposure to aerospace-style verification discipline (configuration management, evidence-driven testing), even if not formal DO-178/DO-254

Responsibilities

Integrate motion control algorithms into embedded firmware (timing, real-time constraints, hardware interfaces, and compute limits)
Support BLDC/FOC, servo architectures, reluctance motor control, and position/velocity/torque loops
Instrument and debug end-to-end behavior using traces/logs, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and firmware debug tools
Partner with controls/algorithm engineers to translate models into robust embedded implementations and tune performance on hardware
Design and build motion control test systems (bench automation, fixtures, instrumentation, safety interlocks)
Develop automated test suites for functional, performance, and robustness testing (corner cases, faults, limits, regressions)
Write test scripts/tools to execute tests, capture data, and generate reports with clear pass/fail criteria
Maintain and improve the test platform over time (calibration checks, regression coverage, reliability, and usability)
Maintain traceability from requirements to implementation to tests to evidence (logs, traces, reports)
Create verification summaries and qualification-ready documentation aligned to internal processes
Organize artifacts in a versioned, reviewable structure that supports audits and repeatable test execution