Robotics - Control Engineer

Engineering Role in Autonomous Surface Robotics

Join a funded field-robotics project at ETH Zurich, within the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control, Research D'Andrea. This position is a project employee (staff) role focused on delivering engineering work for the duration of the project. It is not a PhD position or an academic training track. The team builds autonomous surface robots designed to operate outdoors on real water as a coordinated fleet, extending beyond laboratory environments.

This role is intended for individuals with a control and systems orientation who seek ownership rather than a fixed checklist. You will shape how robots move, sense, and recover in complex, real-world conditions. As the fleet, software, and field programme expand, the scope of responsibilities will widen. Specialization provides a strong foundation, while curiosity across the technical stack facilitates growth into broader responsibilities.

Compensation is competitive for a funded project role and is determined by experience. The position is a 100% fixed-term project staff role with a duration of approximately 18 months.

Core Responsibilities

• Own the behavior of physical robots, including movement, intent retention, coordination, and graceful failure modes.
• Translate concepts into working software on real hardware and harden it through experiments you help design and execute.
• Collaborate at the intersection of sensors, actuators, mechanical limits, and electrical realities to close feedback loops from field evidence to improved behavior.
• Establish testing and commissioning processes that are repeatable for the team, avoiding one-off efforts.
• Share knowledge through clear documentation, teachable setups, and creating opportunities for students and colleagues to build upon your work.

Qualifications and Experience

• 0–5 years of hands-on experience post-degree, including internships, thesis projects, focus projects, or paid project work.
• Background in robotics, control, mechanical or electrical engineering, computer science, or equivalent practical experience.
• Depth in dynamics, estimation, or control of physical systems.
• Demonstrated experience shipping behavior on real robots or comparable cyber-physical systems, beyond simulation.
• Hands-on capability to write, run, and debug software on real hardware, including bench bring-up, field trials, logs, and measurements.
• Proficiency in writing and debugging software that interfaces with hardware, such as C/C++, Python, or similar languages.
• Judgment to investigate, measure, decide, and iterate under conditions of incomplete information.
• Willingness to participate in outdoor and on-water testing, including field days at Lake Zürich and partner sites.
• Independent working style with documentation habits that support team scaling.

The selection process prioritizes thinking processes and completed work over keyword matching. Experience with ROS/ROS 2, embedded or real-time constraints, multi-robot systems, or published technical work is welcome but not mandatory.

Professional Growth

The role begins with a focus on control and autonomy. Over the course of the project, responsibilities will naturally extend into estimation, planning interfaces, system integration, field campaigns, and safety-minded verification. While mechanical and electronics colleagues manage their specific layers, you will develop sufficient understanding to integrate effectively. Growth in this position involves broadening robotics craft and assuming ownership within a fixed-term project. There may be a separate opportunity to join a planned spin-off early if it is a mutual fit after or alongside project delivery.

Team Environment

You will work closely with established entrepreneurs, world-class scientists, and engineers who are artists. The team includes individuals who have built a billion-dollar company, sent hardware to the International Space Station, and created live performance-art installations at the Venice Biennale.