Historical snapshotmid (2–5 yrs)Captured Oct 19, 2026, 3:08 a.m.

Controls Engineer - Space Robotics / GNC

Dreamers

Location
Los Angeles, United States · Onsite
Compensation
$180k – $260k • No equity
Employment
Full-time
Experience level
MID (2–5 years exp)
Specialization
Controls Engineer, Wellfound
Source
Wellfound

My fellow humans of WellFound,

Time for some lighthearted world domination.

The gang is going to space (again).

Dreamers is looking for a full-time Controls Engineer who can make a free-flying robot behave itself in six degrees of freedom. This is hands-on aerospace robotics work: model it, simulate it, build it, tune it, test it, find out what physics objects do, and try again.

You will:

  • Develop and simulate 6-DOF dynamics and control systems for free-flying space robots.
  • Design and tune attitude and translational controllers using PID, LQR, model-based, adaptive, or other appropriate methods.
  • Integrate state estimation, VIO/SLAM, sensors, actuators, and real-time control loops.
  • Work across avionics, propulsion, embedded compute, simulation, and hands-on flight testing.
  • Help build safety, redundancy, and fault-tolerant behavior for systems operating around expensive hardware and humans.

We are looking for:

  • Strong foundations in linear and nonlinear control, dynamics, state estimation, and actuator control.
  • Demonstrated controls work on drones, aerospace robotics, spacecraft, autonomous vehicles, or closely related systems.
  • Experience with MATLAB/Simulink, C++ or Python, and real-time implementation.
  • Hands-on experience with robotic or spacecraft GNC systems such as free-flyers, drones, or CubeSats.
  • Evidence that you enjoy building and testing real hardware, not merely admiring the simulation.

Extra points for ROS 2, Jetson, VIO/SLAM, Intel RealSense, Luxonis, formation flying, proximity operations, docking systems, humanoid robotics, and flight-test integration.

This is not a remote role. You must already be in the Los Angeles area or be willing to relocate to greater Los Angeles and work on-site near Pasadena.

Base salary range: $180,000-$260,000 USD, depending on experience and demonstrated fit.

Please share a current resume, examples of relevant systems or hardware you personally helped build, your current location or relocation plans, and your salary expectations.

Questions? Curiosity is good. Inquire within.