Senior Research Engineer, Controls

Plus

Research Engineer delivering mission-critical improvements for autonomy motion planning at PlusAI. Working with engineers and scientists to develop machine-learning vehicle models and control policies.

Posted 5/21/2026full-timeSanta Clara • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $150,000 - $200,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

LinuxPythonPyTorch

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Deliver mission-critical improvements and new features for our autonomy motion planning and control stack
Work alongside engineers, research scientists, and domain experts to build optimal and data-driven controls to realize planned vehicle trajectories
Develop machine-learning vehicle models and learning-based control policies leveraging extensive data from autonomous trucking fleet
Solve real-world autonomy system challenges by participating in vehicle performance analysis, tuning, and troubleshooting.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Master's or PhD degree in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering or related field
2+ years of MLE experience or industry experience designing and developing for robotics applications
Strong foundation in motion control and modern neural network architectures, with expertise in at least one application area, such as IL/RL, time-series analysis, or dynamic system modeling
Skilled in debugging robotic systems within Linux environments, with strong programming expertise in Python and C++
Experience model development & training with modern frameworks (e.g. PyTorch)
Hands-on familiarity with data ingestion and processing pipelines
Hands-on application skills in any of the following areas: adaptive and nonlinear control, MPC & optimal control, robust control, data-driven control, Kalman filters, etc.
Have a solid understanding of AV control, vehicle dynamics and drive-by-wire systems
Proven expertise with application, verification and validation for ADAS/autonomous driving features and functions.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Catered free lunch
Unlimited snacks and beverages
Highly competitive salary and benefits package, including 401(k) plan.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

machine learning engineeringmotion controlneural network architecturesdebugging robotic systemsPythonC++model developmentdata ingestionadaptive controlKalman filters

Certifications

Master's degreePhD