Controls Engineer

Controls Engineer – Motor & Motion Control Systems

Company Overview:

Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a cutting-edge defense startup, founded by two former Navy electrical engineers with a proven track record in robotics and software. We are developing a small, autonomous gun turret that employs advanced computer vision and control systems to precisely target and neutralize small drones and loitering munitions. Our innovative approach requires overcoming significant technical challenges, making this an exciting and dynamic environment for experienced engineers.

With an engineering-first culture, ACS values technical excellence and innovation. Backed by our founders' successful exits from two previous ventures acquired for a combined $180M in 2022, we are committed to ensuring that the groundbreaking technologies we develop will have a real-world impact.

About The Role:

We are looking for a Controls Engineer to join our team, focusing on robot dynamics and controls, motor controls, and precision real-time systems that power our next-generation autonomous weapon platforms. This role requires strong experience with Python and controls development, with additional exposure to C, C++ and MATLAB being helpful but not mandatory. This is a unique opportunity to work in a fast-paced startup environment on systems where your work directly influences system performance and mission success.

What You'll Do:

• Develop and refine motor control systems for high-precision actuation in real-time applications.
• Build simulation and testing tools in C++ or Python to validate control systems.
• Collaborate closely with embedded software engineers, hardware teams, and computer vision specialists to integrate control systems into our autonomous platforms.
• Analyze system dynamics and performance, and develop solutions for complex control challenges.
• Support system integration, tuning, and field testing of autonomous systems.
• Document control strategies, algorithms, and performance metrics.
• Stay current with advancements in control theory, robotics, and real-time systems.

What You'll Need:

• A strong passion for controls engineering and autonomous systems.
• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in controls engineering with proven proficiency in Python.
• Experience developing flight control systems, motor control algorithms, or real-time motion control applications.
• Familiarity with control theory, PID tuning, state estimation, and feedback control loops.
• Knowledge of system identification methods and algorithms and robotics motion control strategies.
• Experience with simulation environments and test frameworks (Python-based preferred).
• Understanding of real-time constraints and hardware-software integration challenges.
• Comfortable with Git, CI/CD workflows, and writing clean, maintainable, well-tested code.
• A desire to work in a highly collaborative, fast-paced startup environment.

You'll Stand Out:

• Experience with embedded systems programming C/C++.
• Familiarity with Python or MATLAB/Simulink for modeling and simulation.
• Experience developing autonomous aerial or ground robotic platforms.
• Familiarity with sensor fusion, state estimation, and Kalman filtering.
• Familiarity with MIMO systems and adaptive and nonlinear control mechanisms.
• Exposure to hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) or software-in-the-loop (SIL) testing environments.
• Prior experience with ruggedized defense or aerospace systems.

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary
• ACS Equity Package
• Health, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Paid Time Off