Senior Robotics Controls Engineer

San Francisco, California, United States

Compensation: $150K–$250K base + equity (no bonus).

Location:

South San Francisco, CA. Work policy: 5 days/week in‑office. Sponsorship: visa transfers supported (not open to OPT candidates). Stage:
Seed‑stage surgical robotics company, $14M raised. Hiring target: 1.

We are 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.

• Work on cutting‑edge robotic control systems with real‑world clinical impact.
• Own motion planning and control algorithms in a production robotic platform.
• Join a well‑funded seed‑stage company with commercial traction.
• High autonomy and direct collaboration with founders.
• Competitive base salary plus meaningful equity.
• Relocation assistance ($5K–$10K).

• 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.

• Bachelor’s 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 ROS
  2.
• Startup mindset: high ownership, urgency, and comfort working in fast‑paced environments.

• Master’s 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.

• Manufacturing Controls engineer background (industrial/PLC‑focused).
• Primarily MATLAB‑only experience without production‑grade software development.

• Robotics Controls
• Control Theory
• Flight Controls
• State Estimation
• Inverse Kinematics
• Model Predictive Control (MPC)
• Behavior Planning
• Trajectory Planning
• System Identification
• Embedded flight control software

All applicants must satisfy the qualifications and preferences described above. This position is open and actively recruiting.