{"schemaVersion":"jobsearcher.job.v1","id":"2f398c752d4b7a2dcb75b974","url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/2f398c752d4b7a2dcb75b974","canonicalUrl":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/2f398c752d4b7a2dcb75b974","title":"Controls Engineer","description":"About the Company\n\nThe datacenter buildout is the largest industrial project in human history. Gradient builds the autonomous robots that make it possible.\n\nPartnered with the world's largest AI infrastructure companies and backed by the industry's best investors, we move fast and build full-stack systems that matter.\n\nAbout the role\n\nWe're looking for a Controls Engineer to own motion from command to actuator. You'll design and tune the control loops that let our machines do sub-millimeter precision work under real load: motor control, trajectory execution, force and impedance control, and the sensor feedback that closes every loop. You'll work tightly with mechanical, electrical, and software to make the whole machine behave as one deterministic system. We iterate fast (multiple robot generations in months, not years), so the controllers you build land on real hardware doing real precision work almost immediately.\n\nResponsibilities\n\nOwn the control stack: design, implement, and tune motor control, trajectory execution, and high-rate feedback loops on real robots\n\nOwn precision motion: deliver repeatable, sub-millimeter positioning under significant loads, and diagnose the mechanical, electrical, and software sources of error that get in the way\n\nOwn force and contact control: develop force/impedance control strategies for tasks where the robot touches, inserts, and manipulates delicate hardware\n\nOwn actuator and sensor integration: bring up motors, drives, encoders, and force/torque sensors, and characterize their real-world behavior\n\nPartner across the stack: work with mechanical on drivetrain and stiffness trade-offs, electrical on drives and instrumentation, and software on the real-time interfaces your controllers run on\n\nValidate and iterate fast: build test procedures that prove controller performance, and turn a failed test into a tuned revision the same week\n\nMinimum Qualifications\n\n3+ years of controls engineering experience on real electromechanical systems (robotics, motion systems, automation, or similar)\n\nStrong control theory fundamentals: PID and beyond, system identification, stability analysis, and the judgment to know when simple control is the right answer\n\nHands-on experience tuning motor control and closed-loop motion systems on physical hardware, not just in simulation\n\nProficiency in C++ or Rust for real-time control code, plus Python for analysis and tooling\n\nDebugged control problems in the wild: instability, resonance, latency, sensor noise, and mechanical compliance\n\nComfort with ambiguity and a strong build-and-test instinct\n\nAble to work on-site in San Francisco 5 days/week (6 days/week if needed during crunch time), embedded in the team\n\nPreferred Qualifications\n\nForce/impedance control or contact-rich manipulation experience\n\nIndustrial fieldbus and drive experience: EtherCAT, CANopen, servo drive commissioning\n\nExperience with precision motion systems: linear stages, ball screws, direct drive, or similar\n\nFamiliarity with real-time Linux and deterministic execution\n\nComfort using AI tools to multiply your own output","company":"Gradient Robotics","rawCompany":"gradient robotics","city":"Millbrae","state":"CA","isRemote":false,"isActive":false,"createdAt":"2026-08-22T16:41:50.220Z","occupations":[{"code":"17-2199.05","title":"Mechatronics Engineers","slug":"mechatronics-engineers"},{"code":"17-2199.08","title":"Robotics Engineers","slug":"robotics-engineers"},{"code":"17-2199.00","title":"Engineers, All Other","slug":"engineers-all-other"}],"industries":[{"code":"335314","title":"Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing","slug":"relay-and-industrial-control-manufacturing"},{"code":"541330","title":"Engineering Services","slug":"engineering-services"},{"code":"333248","title":"All Other Industrial Machinery Manufacturing","slug":"all-other-industrial-machinery-manufacturing"}],"jobPosting":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"JobPosting","title":"Controls Engineer","description":"About the Company\n\nThe datacenter buildout is the largest industrial project in human history. Gradient builds the autonomous robots that make it possible.\n\nPartnered with the world's largest AI infrastructure companies and backed by the industry's best investors, we move fast and build full-stack systems that matter.\n\nAbout the role\n\nWe're looking for a Controls Engineer to own motion from command to actuator. You'll design and tune the control loops that let our machines do sub-millimeter precision work under real load: motor control, trajectory execution, force and impedance control, and the sensor feedback that closes every loop. You'll work tightly with mechanical, electrical, and software to make the whole machine behave as one deterministic system. We iterate fast (multiple robot generations in months, not years), so the controllers you build land on real hardware doing real precision work almost immediately.\n\nResponsibilities\n\nOwn the control stack: design, implement, and tune motor control, trajectory execution, and high-rate feedback loops on real robots\n\nOwn precision motion: deliver repeatable, sub-millimeter positioning under significant loads, and diagnose the mechanical, electrical, and software sources of error that get in the way\n\nOwn force and contact control: develop force/impedance control strategies for tasks where the robot touches, inserts, and manipulates delicate hardware\n\nOwn actuator and sensor integration: bring up motors, drives, encoders, and force/torque sensors, and characterize their real-world behavior\n\nPartner across the stack: work with mechanical on drivetrain and stiffness trade-offs, electrical on drives and instrumentation, and software on the real-time interfaces your controllers run on\n\nValidate and iterate fast: build test procedures that prove controller performance, and turn a failed test into a tuned revision the same week\n\nMinimum Qualifications\n\n3+ years of controls engineering experience on real electromechanical systems (robotics, motion systems, automation, or similar)\n\nStrong control theory fundamentals: PID and beyond, system identification, stability analysis, and the judgment to know when simple control is the right answer\n\nHands-on experience tuning motor control and closed-loop motion systems on physical hardware, not just in simulation\n\nProficiency in C++ or Rust for real-time control code, plus Python for analysis and tooling\n\nDebugged control problems in the wild: instability, resonance, latency, sensor noise, and mechanical compliance\n\nComfort with ambiguity and a strong build-and-test instinct\n\nAble to work on-site in San Francisco 5 days/week (6 days/week if needed during crunch time), embedded in the team\n\nPreferred Qualifications\n\nForce/impedance control or contact-rich manipulation experience\n\nIndustrial fieldbus and drive experience: EtherCAT, CANopen, servo drive commissioning\n\nExperience with precision motion systems: linear stages, ball screws, direct drive, or similar\n\nFamiliarity with real-time Linux and deterministic execution\n\nComfort using AI tools to multiply your own output","datePosted":"2026-08-22T16:41:50.220Z","dateModified":"2026-08-22T16:41:50.220Z","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Gradient Robotics","sameAs":"https://jobsearcher.com"},"jobLocation":{"@type":"Place","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Millbrae","addressRegion":"CA","addressCountry":"US"}},"identifier":{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"JobSearcher","value":"2f398c752d4b7a2dcb75b974"},"url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/2f398c752d4b7a2dcb75b974"}}