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Salary: USD 146,000 - 194,000 / annual
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company transforming U.S. and allied military capabilities through advanced technology. The Hardware Platform Organization is Anduril's central hardware engineering group, building shared technologies and infrastructure that power hardware development across divisions—from actuators and propulsion to batteries, avionics, and rocket motors.
In this Senior Controls Engineer role, you will lead motor control algorithm development and embedded firmware implementation for BLDC and PMSM motors used in defense applications. Your responsibilities span three core areas:
**Motor Control Algorithm Development:** Design and implement field-oriented control (FOC), six-step commutation, and direct torque control algorithms. Develop sensorless rotor position estimation techniques including back-EMF observers, sliding-mode observers, and high-frequency injection methods for applications where Hall sensors or encoders are not viable. Design current, speed, and position control loops with rigorous bandwidth, stability margins, and disturbance rejection specifications.
**Modelling & Simulation (MIL/SIL/HIL):** Build high-fidelity motor and inverter plant models in MATLAB/Simulink, including magnetic saturation, iron losses, and thermal coupling. Develop controller models and validate performance through Model-in-the-Loop simulation. Execute Software-in-the-Loop testing using Embedded Coder auto-generated C code to verify fixed-point scaling and quantization effects. Support Hardware-in-the-Loop integration with real-time simulators (dSPACE, Typhoon HIL, or equivalent) for full controller board validation. Integrate Simulink auto-coded algorithm modules with microcontroller RTOS, peripheral drivers, and application frameworks.
**Firmware & Embedded Systems:** Implement motor control firmware in C on microcontrollers (STM32, TI C2000, NXP S32K) with hard real-time constraints. Configure and optimize motor control peripherals including PWM timers, ADC synchronization, encoder/Hall interfaces, and comparator-based overcurrent protection. Architect firmware for deterministic control loop execution with interrupt prioritization, DMA pipelines, and minimal-jitter scheduling. Implement comprehensive fault detection, diagnosis, and safe-state management (overcurrent, over-voltage, over-temperature, sensor loss, stall, phase loss). Develop communication interfaces (CAN, SPI, UART, RS-485) for command, telemetry, and diagnostics.
**Requirements:**
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics, or equivalent hands-on experience
- 8+ years of professional experience designing and implementing motor control algorithms (FOC, Trapezoidal, or equivalent) for BLDC or PMSM motors
- Strong foundation in classical and modern control theory: PID tuning, frequency-domain analysis, state estimation, observer design
- Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink and PLECS for control design, motor modeling, and auto-code generation (Embedded Coder or equivalent)
- Deep experience writing production-quality embedded code on microcontrollers with hard real-time motor control loops
- Hands-on Hardware-in-the-Loop integration with real-time simulators
- Working knowledge of power electronics: three-phase inverter operation, PWM schemes, dead-time compensation, DC bus dynamics, and loss estimation
- Hands-on experience with motor control peripherals: ADC triggering, encoder/Hall/resolver interfaces, PWM complementary outputs, hardware overcurrent comparators
- Familiarity with communication protocols: CAN, SPI, I²C, UART, RS-485
- Strong bench skills with oscilloscope, current probe, frequency response analyzer, dynamometer, or motor test stand
- U.S. Person status required (ITAR/EAR export-controlled data access)
**Preferred Qualifications:**
- Master's or PhD with thesis work in motor control, power electronics, or electric machine design
- Experience with sensorless control techniques at low speed and standstill (HFI, pulsating voltage injection)
- Experience with SiC or GaN power device integration and high-switching-frequency inverter design
- Experience with real-time simulation platforms (dSPACE, OPAL-RT, Typhoon HIL)
- Background in defense, automation, automotive, aerospace, or robotics motor control applications (actuators, gimbal drives, electric propulsion)
- Experience with thermal modeling of motors and inverters, I²t protection, and derating algorithms
- Active or ability to obtain U.S. security clearance
