Senior Low-Level Control Engineer - Vancouver

Here at Humanoid, we believe in a future where robots amplify human potential. That’s why we’ve set out on a mission to build the world’s most capable, commercially-scalable, and safe humanoid robots. We’re bringing that mission to life with HMND‑01 Alpha - our rapidly developed humanoid platform now running in real industrial pilots - and we’re growing the team to take it even further.

About The Role

We are looking for a Senior Control Engineer to join our Control Team in Vancouver, focusing on SW control development and integration of robotic actuators and sensors.

You will be responsible for designing, implementing, and validating joint- and actuator-level controllers that deliver high precision, responsiveness, and safety for complex robotic mechanisms.

The ideal candidate has a solid background in control theory, strong software engineering skills in C++, and comfort working across the full stack from real-time embedded control up through networking, kinematics/dynamics, and browser-based debugging tooling. You will work closely with other control and hardware engineers to model, tune, and optimize the behavior of real robots and their subsystems (i.e. limbs and end-effectors).

What You’ll Do

Low-Level Control Development

• Tune and validate actuator - and joint-space control loops (PID, feedforward, impedance/admittance, observers, state feedback) for multi-DoF systems in ROS2.

• Work across EtherCAT/CAN and Linux networking (TCP/IP, DDS discovery, time sync) to ensure deterministic, safe real-time operation.

• Implement safety and fault-handling mechanisms for dynamic conditions.

Modeling, Kinematics & System Identification

• Build and identify models of actuators, transmissions, and mechanisms — including parallel mechanisms like differential wrists/ankles — for control design and simulation.

• Apply rigid body kinematics/dynamics and numerical IK/FK methods; work from URDF/Xacro and MJCF, interpreting mechanical drawings and geometry.

Software & Systems Integration

• Write real-time-safe, object-oriented C++ (lock-free structures, thread safety) for control and diagnostics.

• Design and debug multi-layer control architectures.

• Maintain CMake build/dependency tooling and Python test harnesses; build lightweight browser-based tools (HTML/JS/WebSocket) for hardware debugging.

Sensor & Hardware Integration

• Integrate and calibrate a range of sensors (F/T sensors, tactile sensors, IMUs, etc.) with real-time acquisition and processing across the control stack.

• Hands‑on hardware bring‑up and debugging.

Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

• Close the loop with mechanical/electronics engineers across sites on actuation requirements;

• Support hardware bring‑up, calibration, and performance testing.

What We’re Looking For

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Control Engineering, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or Electrical Engineering with 5+ years in robotic or mechatronic systems — equivalent practical experience counts.

• Shipped real-time-safe, object-oriented C++ control software running on real hardware, in production or a serious research programme.

• Tuned and validated controllers on physical actuators, including sensor calibration and bring‑up — with a story about something that behaved nothing like the model and what you did about it.

• Debugged at the fieldbus and OS layer: EtherCAT (PDO/SDO, timing constraints) or CAN, on an RTOS or real-time Linux.

• Strong control theory foundation (linear/nonlinear control, stability, observers, state estimation, feedback/feedforward, filtering, frequency-domain analysis) applied to multi-DoF mechanisms via Jacobians, numerical IK/FK, and URDF/Xacro.

Preferred Qualifications

• BLDC motor control (commutation, current control, torque optimization)

• ros2_control internals (hardware interfaces, controllers, controller_manager, plugins, lifecycle nodes).

• Parallel mechanisms specifically (differential wrist, parallel ankle), robotic hands, or other multi-DoF end‑effectors.

• System identification toolchains and simulation environments (MATLAB/Simulink, MuJoCo, Gazebo); MJCF.

• Experience with dynamic system modeling and simulation at the actuator and transmission level.

What We Offer

• Comprehensive extended health benefits starting on your first day, including fully paid medical and dental, virtual care, employee and family assistance, and worldwide emergency medical support.

• Meaningful time off to rest and recharge: 23 days of annual leave (accrued), 15 days of paid sick leave, and paid company holidays.

• Competitive equity: stock options with meaningful upside as we scale.

• Free daily catered lunch, snacks, and drinks in‑office.

• Collaboration with top‑tier engineers, researchers, and product experts in AI and robotics.

• Freedom to influence the product and own key initiatives.