Senior Robotics Engineer, Controls
- Pay
- $180,000 – $200,000 per year
- Location
- San Francisco, CA · On-site
- Job type
- Full-time
- Level
- Lead / Staff
- Experience
- 4+ years
- Listed
- Today
Skills & highlights for this role
- Closed-loop controller design and tuning
- Servo drives
- Brushless motors
- Encoders
- IMUs
- Classical and state-space control
- LQR
- MPC
- State estimation (Kalman, EKF, UKF, or complementary filters)
- Sensor fusion on hardware
- System identification
- Frequency-domain tuning
- Resonance characterization
- Real-time control latency and jitter
Also useful
- Precision motion control
- Gimbals
- Target tracking
- Aerospace control systems
- Related control systems background
About the Role
Join a small engineering team developing autonomous systems in the defense technology sector. As a senior individual contributor, you will own the precision motion controls stack, from control-loop architecture and state estimation to integration and validation on real hardware.
What You'll Do
- Design and tune precision pointing and tracking control loops, including closed-loop operation from sensor input to actuator commands at hundreds of hertz.
- Develop state estimation and sensor fusion using IMU, encoder, and vision feedback.
- Identify and model gimbal, mount, and actuator dynamics, and compensate for resonance, backlash, friction, saturation, and other nonlinearities.
- Build and maintain controls simulation and hardware-in-the-loop test infrastructure to validate designs and reduce the sim-to-real gap.
- Integrate controls with tracking systems and characterize performance on physical hardware in laboratory and field settings.
- Document controls architecture, tuning approaches, and engineering standards.
What We're Looking for
- At least 4 years of robotics experience, including hands-on design and tuning of closed-loop controllers on motion hardware such as servo drives, brushless motors, encoders, and IMUs.
- Strong grounding in classical and state-space control, including LQR and MPC, with experience applying control methods to physical systems.
- Practical state-estimation experience, such as Kalman, EKF, UKF, or complementary filters, and sensor fusion on hardware.
- Experience with system identification, frequency-domain tuning, resonance characterization, and real-time control-loop latency and jitter.
- Modern C++ for real-time control, plus Python or MATLAB/Simulink for modeling, simulation, and analysis.
- Experience validating simulations against real hardware and working across mechanical, electrical, and software disciplines.
- Background in precision motion, gimbals, target tracking, aerospace, or other related control systems is valuable.
Base salary
$180,000 to $200,000 annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.
Location
On-site in San Francisco, California.
From Clera's careers page, first listed on Rolev.ai on November 12, 2026. Rolev.ai is not the employer.
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Common questions
What is the salary for the Senior Robotics Engineer, Controls role at Clera?
The Senior Robotics Engineer, Controls posting at Clera states compensation of $180,000 – $200,000 per year. It is listed as a full-time position. Final pay may depend on location, experience, and interview evaluation on Clera's official career site.
Where is the Senior Robotics Engineer, Controls job at Clera located?
This Senior Robotics Engineer, Controls position at Clera is located in San Francisco, CA (On-site). Always check Clera's application page for specific state eligibility or relocation policies.
What qualifications are required for Senior Robotics Engineer, Controls at Clera?
For the Senior Robotics Engineer, Controls role, Clera highlights 4+ years of relevant experience; experience with Closed-loop controller design and tuning, Servo drives, Brushless motors, Encoders, IMUs, Classical and state-space control. Rolev.ai can score your existing resume against these requirements and show any skill gaps before you apply.
How do I apply for the Senior Robotics Engineer, Controls position at Clera?
This listing links directly to Clera's Ashby application page. You can apply directly on Clera's site, or use Rolev.ai to check your resume fit, generate a zero-hallucination tailored resume and cover letter for this posting, and autofill the Ashby application form in 1 click with the Rolev.ai Chrome extension. You always review the form and press Submit yourself.