Software Engineer - Controls
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 16, 2026. First seen by Alion on Jun 30, 2026. Applied Intuition scores B on the Alion truth index.
Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.
We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions
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 can guide various vehicles over difficult off-road terrain, such as environments with steep slopes and sandy or muddy surfaces. The modules you develop must be high performance due to critical timing, thermal, and power 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 is the place for you!
At Applied, you will:
Design and implement controls modules that can be deployed on off-road 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 challenging off-road 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.
Nice to have:
MSc or PhD in mechanical engineering or computer science with coursework or research experience in controls.
Experience writing software that is compliant with guidelines for safety-critical C++ code, such as MISRA and AUTOSAR.
Experience using quadratic programming solvers and nonlinear optimization tools such as OSQP, SCS, and CasADi to create robust and performant controllers.
Experience applying machine learning techniques to vehicle dynamics modeling.
Experience writing high-performance C++ code.
Experience working with large industrial vehicles in off-road environments.
Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.
FOR US-BASED ROLES:Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request. If you require an accommodation please contact [email protected]. We will work with you!