Senior Controls Engineer

Anduril • Costa Mesa, CA

1d

About The Position

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.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics, or equivalent hands-on experience
• 8+ 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 modeling, 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 analyzer, dynamometer or motor test stand
• U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export-controlled data (ITAR / EAR)

Nice To Haves

• 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 modeling of motors and inverters, I²t protection, and derating algorithms
• Active or ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance

Responsibilities

• 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
• 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
• 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 synchronization, encoder/Hall interfaces, comparator-based overcurrent protection
• Architect firmware for deterministic control loop execution — interrupt prioritization, DMA pipelines, and minimal-jitter scheduling
• Implement fault detection, diagnosis, and safe-state management in firmware (overcurrent, over-voltage, over-temperature, sensor loss, stall, phase loss)
• Develop communication interfaces (CAN, SPI, UART, RS-485) for command, telemetry, and diagnostics

Benefits

• 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: Benefits 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 .

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree