Sr Robotics Controls Engineer ( 8) – 170k-220k
Onsite – 5 days SF

We are looking for a Robotics Controls Engineer with 3+ years of experience to design and tune the core control systems that enable 200+ ton autonomous haul trucks to operate safely in mining environments. You'll work on localization, path following, longitudinal and lateral control, and steering systems — solving uniquely challenging navigation and localization problems in remote, unstructured mining sites. This is a high-impact, engineering-first role at Atoms (formerly Pronto AI / CloudKitchens), where engineers drive decisions and ship real production systems. We have 100+ autonomous trucks in live operation today, and you'll be instrumental in scaling that further. Candidates with mining autonomy experience (e.g., Hexagon, Caterpillar, Komatsu) are especially valued, though strong autonomous vehicle backgrounds are also welcome.
What will you be doing?

Design, implement, and tune control algorithms (MPC, PID) for autonomous haul trucks operating across varying payloads and terrain grades
Develop state estimation and localization pipelines that fuse GPS/RTK, IMU, and other sensor modalities — including handling GPS dropouts in remote mining sites
Analyze system performance through field testing on real trucks and log replay, debugging control issues and identifying root causes
Collaborate with perception, planning, and hardware teams to integrate control systems into production autonomous vehicles
Travel periodically (up to 15%) to customer mining sites for deployment, testing, and tuning

Tech stack
Python, C++, ROS, Linux, MPC, NumPy, SciPy, NVIDIA Jetson, GPS/RTK, IMU, CAN Bus, Kalman Filters (EKF/UKF)

Why candidates should join
Atoms (formerly CloudKitchens) is building Physical AI for the real world — autonomous haul trucks in mining and autonomous vehicles in transport. Founded by Travis Kalanick after Uber with $1.25B+ in funding from Microsoft and the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
This is an engineering-first culture where engineers make the key decisions — not ops or finance. You'll work on live production systems with 100+ autonomous trucks already hauling millions of tons in real mines.
Robotics Controls Engineer role based in San Francisco (5 days on-site). Comp ranges from $180K–$220K base for senior and up to $300K for staff — plus equity and benefits.

About Atoms –
Employees – 3k , founded 2018 , 1.25B Funding
Atoms is building the machines that power the next era of progress. Founded by Travis Kalanick after leaving Uber, Atoms represents the consolidation of eight years of technology development across multiple divisions — bringing Physical AI to the industries that move civilization forward.

The company operates across three core verticals:

Atoms Food (formerly CloudKitchens) — kitchen infrastructure and software empowering food & beverage operators to expand with minimal upfront capital

Yes . No Questions:

Hands-on experience with ROS, Linux, and MPC — dealbreaker if no ROS/Linux
Must be able to work 5 days/week on-site in San Francisco; relocation supported

3 - 10 years of experience in robotics controls engineering, using Python, ROS, and Linux
BS/MS/PhD in Robotics, Mechanical, Aerospace, or Electrical Engineering

3-4 Sentence Questions:

Deployed localization, lateral/longitudinal control, or navigation on real autonomous vehicles
Strong Python and C++ for production control systems
State estimation experience (Kalman filters, EKF/UKF, sensor fusion)
Experience in autonomous mining (e.g., Caterpillar, Komatsu, Hexagon, Freeport)
Experience in autonomous vehicles at companies like Aurora, Tesla, Uber, or Nuro