Software Engineer - Controls

Applied Intuition • Sunnyvale, CA

5d • $150,000 - $250,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Applied Intuition is seeking a software engineer with expertise in controlling autonomous vehicles or mobile robots. The role involves developing high-performance controls modules that meet critical timing constraints and can be deployed on vehicles for autonomous navigation. The engineer will characterize customer vehicle dynamics and create tailored control solutions to narrow the gap between simulation and real-world behavior. They will evaluate academic research and apply optimal-control techniques, including nonlinear MPC and MPPI.

The position also involves diagnosing system software and functional driving issues on target platforms, conducting autonomous driving missions and in-vehicle testing, and addressing field failures through fixes. The engineer will verify and validate autonomy functions across test-case design, SIL/HIL fault injection, and in-vehicle environments; contribute to functional and safety requirements and DFMEA-style failure analysis; and collaborate with customers’ engineers while managing customer relationships. Applied Intuition describes its full-time work environment as primarily in-office five days per week, with some flexibility for occasional remote work and schedule adjustments.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in mechanical engineering, computer science, or a related field, with coursework or research experience in controls.
• At least 2 years of experience building production software using modern software practices.
• Hands-on experience testing control solutions on real, production-grade vehicles.
• Fluency in differential equations, numerical optimization, numerical analysis, and physics.
• Passion for solving challenging control problems involving a wide array of vehicles in varied environments.
• Enthusiasm for practical solutions to cutting-edge challenges in a fast-paced environment and building toward an end-to-end strategy.

Nice To Haves

• Experience writing safety-critical, high-performance software using modern C++.
• Experience in quadratic programming and nonlinear optimization to create robust, performant controllers.
• Experience applying machine learning techniques to vehicle dynamics modeling.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement controls modules deployable on vehicles for autonomous navigation.
• Characterize customer vehicle dynamics to create tailored controls solutions and reduce the gap between simulated and real-world dynamics.
• Evaluate and use academic research to create optimal-control-based solutions, including nonlinear MPC and MPPI control.
• Diagnose system software and functional driving issues on target platforms, both on-road and in simulation, and identify root causes.
• Perform in-vehicle testing by running autonomous driving missions, collecting data, and addressing field failures through fixes.
• Verify and validate autonomy functions, from test-case design through fault injection in SIL/HIL and in-vehicle environments.
• Contribute to functional and safety requirements and support DFMEA-style failure analysis for safety-critical vehicle functions.
• Collaborate with customer engineers and manage customer relationships.

Benefits

• Base salary and equity, which may include options and/or restricted stock units.
• Comprehensive health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance coverage.
• 401(k) retirement benefits with employer match.
• Learning and wellness stipends.
• Paid time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level