Robotics Software Engineer - Controls

Robotics Software Engineer (Controls)

Ghost Robotics is a robotics company building autonomous systems that operate in complex, dynamic environments. Our perception stack enables our robots to understand, localize, and navigate the world in real time, and we place a strong emphasis on robustness, performance, and maintainable engineering. We are seeking a Senior Controls Engineer to design, implement, and deploy cutting-edge control algorithms for dynamic legged robotic systems operating in complex real-world environments.

You will work across dynamics, optimization, state estimation, and real-time software owning both algorithmic innovation and system-level performance on hardware. This role is ideal for engineers who thrive on high-velocity problem solving, deep technical ownership, and hands-on testing and validation.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and validate advanced control architectures (e.g., model-based, optimization-based, learning-augmented controllers) for agility and robustness.
• Develop, maintain, and validate state estimation and sensor fusion pipelines (IMU, joint encoders, contact/force sensing).
• Lead gait generation, footstep planning, contact scheduling, and disturbance recovery tuning.
• Perform rigorous offline and real-time testing in simulation and hardware environments.
• Debug and analyze system performance using logs, visualization tools, hardware experiments, and fleet data.
• Build automated diagnostics, analysis scripts, and tools to improve robot reliability and field performance.
• Collaborate closely with mechanical, perception, embedded, and systems teams to ensure end-to-end performance and robustness.
• Write clean, maintainable, real-time-safe code in C++ and Python.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to long-term architectural decisions.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Strong foundations in control theory (linear, nonlinear, optimal control) with experience in legged locomotion or other dynamic systems.
• Experience with multi-body dynamics, modeling, and simulation (e.g., Mu Jo Co , Gazebo, Isaac Sim, PyBullet).
• Hands-on experience deploying algorithms on physical robotic systems and debugging complex hardware/software interactions.
• Proficiency in modern C++ (C++17/20) and Python for development and tooling.
• Experience with Unix/Linux environments and software engineering best practices (version control, CI/CD).
• Masters/PhD in Robotics, Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace Engineering or equivalent work experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with legged or humanoid robots and real-world locomotion challenges.
• Background in whole-body control frameworks (operational space control, MPC, etc.).
• Familiarity with state estimation methodologies (EKF, factor graphs, UKF).
• Experience architecting data analysis pipelines and automated diagnostic systems.
• Publications or significant open-source contributions in robotics, controls, or estimation.
• Experience with ROS 2 and real-time middleware.
• A combination of classical control and reinforcement learning applied to robotic systems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical efforts and mentor junior engineers.