Robotics Control Engineer

About the role

Way of Water, a funded field-robotics project at ETH Zurich's Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control (Research D'Andrea), is hiring a project-staff control engineer. You will deliver engineering work for the life of the project (about 18 months, full time) on autonomous surface robots that operate outdoors on real water, not only in the lab. The role suits someone with a control and systems bent who wants ownership; the brief widens as the fleet, software and field programme grow.

Key responsibilities

• Own the behaviour of physical robots: how they move, hold intent, coordinate and fail gracefully.
• Turn ideas into working software on real hardware, then harden it with experiments you help design and run.
• Work at the seams between sensors, actuators, mechanical limits and electrical realities, closing loops from field evidence back into better behaviour.
• Make testing and commissioning repeatable for the team.
• Share what you learn through clear notes and teachable setups, so students and colleagues can build on your work.

Required profile

• About 0-5 years of hands-on experience after your degree; internships, thesis projects, focus projects and paid project work count.
• Background in robotics, control, mechanical or electrical engineering, computer science or equivalent practice, with depth in dynamics, estimation or control of physical systems.
• Evidence of shipping behaviour on real robots or comparable cyber-physical systems, not only simulation.
• Comfort writing and debugging software that talks to hardware (e.g. C/C++, Python).
• Appetite for outdoor and on-water testing, including Lake Zurich and partner sites.
• Independent working style and documentation habits that help a small team scale.

Experience with ROS/ROS 2, embedded or real-time constraints, multi-robot systems or published technical work is welcome. The workplace is in Zurich, and applications must be submitted through the online application portal with a CV and a short note on one or two projects you drove.