Definition

Software Engineer - Controls

Applied Compute

Applied Compute

Software Engineering
Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Posted on Mar 6, 2026

Location

Sunnyvale

Employment Type

Full time

Department

Self-Driving Systems

About the role

We are looking for a software engineer with expertise in control of autonomous vehicles or mobile robots. Among your responsibilities will be the development of controls modules that must be high performance due to critical timing constraints.

In addition to your engineering contributions, by working in our dynamic and customer-focused team culture, you will contribute to and learn from best practices in the nascent autonomy industry. We move fast and we focus on excellence, for our products and for our business. If you are hands-on and looking for a place to have a multiplying effect on making autonomous systems a reality, Applied Intuition is the place for you!

At Applied Intuition, you will:

  • Design and implement controls modules that can be deployed onto vehicles for autonomous navigation

  • Characterize the dynamics of our customers’ vehicles to create tailored controls solutions and to reduce the gap between simulation and real-world dynamics

  • Evaluate and utilize academic research to create optimal-control-based solutions using techniques like nonlinear MPC and MPPI control

  • Collaborate with customers’ engineers and manage customer relationships

We're looking for someone who has:

  • Passion about tackling challenging control problems involving a wide array of vehicles in various environments

  • 4+ years of experience building production software using modern software practices

  • Hands-on experience testing controls solutions on real, production-grade vehicles

  • Fluency in differential equations, numerical optimization, numerical analysis, and physics

  • Enthusiasm for coming up with practical solutions to cutting-edge challenges in a fast-paced environment, and building towards an end-to-end strategy

Nice to have:

  • MSc or PhD in mechanical engineering or computer science with coursework or research experience in controls

  • Experience writing safety-critical, high-performance software using modern C++

  • Experience in quadratic programming and nonlinear optimization to create robust and performant controllers

  • Experience applying machine learning techniques to vehicle dynamics modeling

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Please reference the job posting’s subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the location listed is: $170,000 - $250,000 USD annually.