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Salary: USD 191,000 - 253,000 / annual
Anduril Industries is seeking a Staff Controls Engineer to join the Hardware Platform Organization, the central hardware engineering group responsible for shared technologies, tools, and infrastructure powering hardware development across all divisions. This role focuses on motor control algorithm development, modeling and simulation, and embedded firmware implementation for BLDC and PMSM motors used in defense and aerospace applications.
You will design and implement advanced motor control algorithms including field-oriented control (FOC), six-step commutation, and direct torque control. You'll develop sensorless rotor position estimation techniques such as back-EMF observers, sliding-mode observers, and high-frequency injection methods for applications where traditional sensors are not viable. You will design current, speed, and position control loops with rigorous specifications for bandwidth, stability margins, and disturbance rejection.
Modeling and simulation work includes building high-fidelity motor and inverter plant models in MATLAB/Simulink that account for magnetic saturation, iron losses, and thermal coupling. You'll validate controller performance through Model-in-the-Loop (MIL) simulation, execute Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) testing using Embedded Coder auto-generated C code, and support Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) integration with real-time simulators such as dSPACE or Typhoon HIL. You'll integrate Simulink auto-coded algorithm modules with microcontroller RTOS, peripheral drivers, and application frameworks.
Firmware and embedded systems responsibilities include implementing motor control firmware in C on microcontrollers (STM32, TI C2000, NXP S32K) with hard real-time constraints. You'll configure and optimize motor control peripherals including PWM timers, ADC synchronization, encoder/Hall interfaces, and comparator-based overcurrent protection. You'll architect firmware for deterministic control loop execution with interrupt prioritization, DMA pipelines, and minimal-jitter scheduling. You'll implement comprehensive fault detection, diagnosis, and safe-state management for overcurrent, overvoltage, overtemperature, sensor loss, stall, and phase loss conditions. You'll develop communication interfaces (CAN, SPI, UART, RS-485) for command, telemetry, and diagnostics.
This is a Staff-level individual contributor role within Anduril's Hardware Platform Organization, setting engineering standards and developing core technology products that ship across multiple product lines.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics, or equivalent hands-on experience
- 10+ 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
- Ability to perform Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) 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) for HIL validation
- 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
