Senior Robotics Controls Engineer

Jenn Nguyen and Friends•San Francisco, CA

1d•$150,000 - $250,000•Onsite

About The Position

Were building autonomous surgical robots designed to dramatically shorten the learning curve for complex procedures. Our systems combine robotics, motion planning, computer vision, and real-time control to execute surgical steps with speed and precision. This is a high-priority hire. The team is moving quickly and eager to engage strong candidates immediately.

Requirements

Bachelors degree in Robotics, Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (strong academic background required).
3+ years of robotics engineering or closely related experience.
Deep understanding of control systems (linear and non-linear).
Strong software development skills in C++ and/or Python.
Experience with ROS or ROS2.
Startup mindset: high ownership, urgency, and comfort working in fast-paced environments.

Nice To Haves

Masters degree.
Experience in autonomous vehicles or aerospace (Guidance, Navigation & Control, embedded flight control).
Knowledge of surgical robotics systems.
Experience with Model Predictive Control (MPC), system identification, and advanced control theory.
Background in robotics software engineering involving object tracking, sensor fusion, or real-time systems.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement control systems and motion planning for a surgical robotics platform.
Design algorithms for trajectory planning, behavior planning, and robotic actuation.
Work on state estimation, inverse kinematics, and Model Predictive Control (MPC).
Integrate 2D/3D sensor inputs (Lidar, cameras, TOF, IMUs) into control logic.
Contribute to real-time, low-latency robotic systems with high accuracy requirements.
Collaborate closely with hardware, ML, and UI teams to deliver production-ready robotic capabilities.