Controls Software Engineer, Atlas

Boston Dynamics•Waltham, MA

9d•$110,000 - $145,000•Onsite

About The Position

Boston Dynamics is scaling the Atlas humanoid fleet to push the limits of generalist robotics. You will join the Atlas team as a Controls Software Engineer, working to build the robot nervous system that connects our state-of-the-art whole-body RL controller to the physical robot’s actuators and sensors. Our world-class team bridges the gap between control theory, robot hardware, and software engineering to deliver a reliable robot that can be scaled across thousands of humanoid robots doing complex tasks. The Role We are looking for an early-career engineer who thrives at the intersection of hardware and software. You will join a team dedicated to building the core control infrastructure that enables everything from basic hardware diagnostics to complex, AI-driven behaviors. In this role, you aren’t just writing code for a lab experiment; you are building the foundation that allows a fleet of humanoids to operate at scale. You will be hands-on with the hardware, debugging failures in real-time, and using agentic coding tools to accelerate how we write code and analyze robot data. Mentorship & Growth: At Boston Dynamics, we believe the best way to learn is by doing, supported by the best in the field. As an entry-level engineer, you will: Work Alongside Experts: Partner with world-class roboticists who have spent decades pushing the boundaries of what machines can do. Direct Ownership: You won’t just be a "cog in the machine." You will own critical features and infrastructure projects from design to deployment on the robot. Structured Development: Benefit from a culture that prioritizes code reviews, technical deep-dives, and cross-functional exposure to hardware, perception, and learning teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Robotics, Computer Science, ME/EE (or related) with 1–2 years of experience (including internships), OR a recently completed Master’s degree.
Proficiency in C++ and Python.
Experience with version control (git) and writing tests for your code.
A solid understanding of classical control theory (SISO).
Proven experience debugging and "getting your hands dirty" with real-world electromechanical systems.
Ability to work onsite at our Waltham, MA facility for direct interaction with the Atlas fleet.

Nice To Haves

Experience with physics simulators (e.g., MuJoCo, Gazebo, or Isaac Sim).
Exposure to automated data pipelines or CI/CD for robotics.
A portfolio of personal or academic robotics projects that demonstrate experience.

Responsibilities

Contribute to the "uptime" of the world’s most advanced humanoid by building automated health-checks and instrumentation into the control stack.
Design and implement real-time software in C++ that runs directly on Atlas hardware.
Build the software pipelines that allow the robot to identify, report, and gracefully respond to hardware or software faults.
Take a "first-principles" approach to debugging, using data logs to perform failure analysis.