---
title: 'Controls Engineer at Mind Robotics'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/controls-engineer-mind-robotics-palo-alto-7nbb7smfa0px'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-11'
---

# Controls Engineer at Mind Robotics

- **Company:** Mind Robotics
- **Location:** Palo Alto, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-06-15
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/mindrobotics/59ee456b-926a-48f9-968e-70b065f120ef/application

**Skills:** Control theory (PID, lead-lag, state-space, LQR/MPC, nonlinear systems), C/C++, Rust, MATLAB/Simulink, Python, Julia, Dynamic modeling, Simulation tools, Real-time control implementation, Whole-body control, Trajectory optimization, Model predictive control, Field-oriented control (FOC), Motor control algorithms, ROS2, Robotics middleware, ISO 26262, IEC 61508

> Design, implement, and tune control algorithms for robotic systems, developing dynamic models and simulating performance. Collaborate with firmware and hardware teams to deploy real-time control solutions in C/C++ or Rust.

## Job description

About Mind: Mind Robotics is building Physical AI for real-world industrial deployment, starting with the factory floor. We believe the hardest problems in AI are solved when researchers and engineers are hands-on with the physical world every day - and we're looking for people who are passionate about robotics, value ownership, and are excited to tackle difficult problems. Join us if you want to move beyond digital intelligence and put intelligence into motion.

## The Role

At Mind Robotics, we're building generalized physical AI — robotic systems capable of dexterous, adaptive, and reasoning-intensive work in real-world industrial environments. Controls is where intelligence becomes motion: the layer that translates high-level commands into precise, safe, and coordinated physical behavior across every joint and actuator on the robot. We're looking for a Controls Engineer to own the algorithms and software that make our robots move well — from low-level actuator loop design to full-body motion control and the simulation infrastructure that keeps us iterating fast.

## Responsibilities

- Design, implement, and tune control algorithms — PID, state-space, model-based, and beyond — for joints, actuators, and whole-body robot motion.
- Develop and maintain high-fidelity dynamic models of robot subsystems to support simulation, analysis, and controller design.
- Analyze real-world robot data to assess controller performance, identify regressions, and drive targeted improvements.
- Work closely with firmware engineers to implement control algorithms under hard real-time constraints in C/C++ or Rust.
- Collaborate with mechanical and electrical engineers to characterize hardware, close the loop between physical design and software performance, and define actuation requirements.
- Define and execute test plans that validate control system performance across the full operating envelope of the robot.

## Qualifications

- M.S. or Ph.D. in controls, robotics, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience building and deploying control systems for real physical hardware.
- Demonstrated experience (through work, research, or projects) designing and deploying control systems for real physical systems — robots, actuators, drones, or similar.
- Strong foundation in control theory: classical (PID, lead-lag), modern (state-space, LQR/MPC), and familiarity with nonlinear systems.
- Experience building dynamic models and using simulation tools (MATLAB/Simulink, Python, Julia, or equivalent) to inform and validate controller design.
- Hands-on experience tuning controllers on real hardware and debugging unexpected behavior with real data.
- Proficiency in C/C++ or Rust for real-time control implementation.
- You are comfortable with ambiguity, move fast, and have an "engineering curiosity" that drives you to understand how the entire system works, not just your part.

## Nice to Have

- Experience with whole-body control, trajectory optimization, or model predictive control on legged or manipulator systems.
- Familiarity with field-oriented control (FOC) or other motor control algorithms at the firmware level.
- Exposure to functional safety standards (ISO 26262, IEC 61508, or similar).
- Experience with ROS2 or similar robotics middleware.

## About Mind Robotics

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Mind Robotics builds AI-driven robotic systems for industrial deployment, focusing on creating general-purpose physical intelligence for the world's most demanding manufacturing challenges.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A)
- **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2025
- **Founders**: Not publicly disclosed (founding technical team includes Sriramana Sankar, Ruijie He, Vishal J., and Ury Zhilinsky as Founding Technical Members)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Robotics Engineering, Industrial Automation, Artificial Intelligence
- **Target customers**: B2B, Enterprise (industrial manufacturing, factory floors)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "Building the generalized physical intelligence required to solve the world’s most demanding industrial challenges." The company believes the path to general-purpose robotics begins where the need is most acute and the environment is most structured: the factory floor.

## Products & Services
- **AI-Enabled Industrial Robots**: Intelligent robotic systems designed for industrial deployment, focusing on creating collaborative platforms for manufacturing environments. The company builds "physical AI" for real-world industrial challenges, emphasizing hardware-in-the-loop development where researchers and engineers work hands-on with hardware.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding of **$615M** across two rounds
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Andreessen Horowitz (co-lead Series A), Accel (co-lead Series A), Kleiner Perkins (led most recent round), Eclipse (seed), Prysm Capital, Menlo Ventures. Partners include Silicon Valley Robotics.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Raised a $115M seed round in late 2025, followed by a massive $500M Series A in March 2026 co-led by Accel and Andreessen Horowitz
  - Closed an additional funding round in May 2026 led by Kleiner Perkins
  - Headcount of ~21 employees with a monthly growth rate of +42.9%
  - LinkedIn following of 9,654 with +38.5% monthly growth
  - Talent sourced from top companies including Tesla, Rivian, Databricks, and Physical Intelligence

## Competitive Advantages
- **Massive capital advantage**: With $615M in total funding raised within its first year, Mind Robotics is one of the best-capitalized early-stage robotics startups, enabling aggressive hiring and R&D investment.
- **Top-tier investor backing**: Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, and Kleiner Perkins — some of the most prestigious venture firms in the world.
- **Hardware-in-the-loop philosophy**: The company emphasizes that the hardest problems in AI are solved when researchers and engineers are hands-on with hardware, creating a unique engineering culture focused on real-world deployment.
- **Lean, high-impact team**: With only ~21 employees and massive funding, each individual has outsized ownership and impact.

## Strategic Focus
- **Industrial deployment first**: Targeting factory floors as the most structured environment for deploying general-purpose robotics, believing this is the fastest path to broadly capable robots.
- **Physical AI development**: Building the intelligence layer for robots that can operate in messy, complex real-world environments.
- **Aggressive scaling**: With $615M in funding, the company is rapidly expanding its team across hardware engineering, software, and data platform roles.

## Why Work Here
- **Massive impact per person**: The company explicitly states it is "building a lean, collaborative team where every individual has a massive impact" — a rare promise for a company with over half a billion in funding.
- **Hardware-in-the-loop culture**: Engineers and researchers work directly with physical hardware daily, solving real-world problems rather than just simulation.
- **Top-tier team**: Colleagues include alumni from Tesla, Rivian, Databricks, and Physical Intelligence, creating a high-caliber peer group.
- **Work policy**: Hybrid workspace (combination of remote and on-site work) with a strong in-office presence in Palo Alto, CA. Most roles appear to be on-site or hybrid.
- **Open roles**: 22 active positions across hardware engineering (actuation, motor design, electrical design, tactile sensing), software engineering (robotics, firmware, controls, ML infrastructure), and data platform roles.
- **Culture highlights**: The company looks for "builders who are passionate about robotics and live for the challenge of making systems work in messy, complex environments." They emphasize a lean, collaborative team where every individual has massive impact.

## Sources
1. [mindrobotics.com](https://www.mindrobotics.com/)
2. [mindrobotics.com/careers](https://www.mindrobotics.com/careers)
3. [LinkedIn - Mind Robotics](https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindrobotics)
4. [Built In - Mind Robotics](https://builtin.com/company/mind-robotics)
5. [Ashby Jobs - Mind Robotics](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/mindrobotics)

## Other roles at Mind Robotics

- [Actuation Engineer, Motor Design](https://feeny.ai/job/actuation-engineer-motor-design-mind-robotics-palo-alto-gxcwzjckdh2e) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Tech Lead, Robotics Runtime & Middleware](https://feeny.ai/job/tech-lead-robotics-runtime-middleware-mind-robotics-palo-alto-0nmtyyhy7tad) — Palo Alto, CA
- [IT Operations Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/it-operations-lead-mind-robotics-palo-alto-nnxhw00ffje8) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Test Engineer, Actuation](https://feeny.ai/job/test-engineer-actuation-mind-robotics-palo-alto-fpcjggcme83d) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Supplier Industrialization Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/supplier-industrialization-engineer-mind-robotics-palo-alto-v7csa9tpt7ys) — Palo Alto, CA
- [System Integration Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/system-integration-engineer-mind-robotics-palo-alto-fbfk3r1bw99s) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Tech Lead, Software Infrastructure and Fleet Management](https://feeny.ai/job/tech-lead-software-infrastructure-and-fleet-management-mind-robotics-palo-alto-1pdhevhnevhm) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Hardware Lab Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-lab-technician-mind-robotics-palo-alto-wrdf1ybv7y4g) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Simulation and Validation Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/simulation-and-validation-software-engineer-mind-robotics-palo-alto-byck56jcmcar) — Palo Alto, CA
- [DevOps Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/devops-engineer-mind-robotics-palo-alto-7v1ppafsxmdy) — Palo Alto, CA