EMBEDDED CONTROLS ENGINEER

Mesh Optical Technologies was founded on the belief that optical photons will be at the center of advanced technologies in the coming century. Making advanced technology ubiquitous means building at scale, and that’s exactly what we’re doing at Mesh.

Our products and factory equipment rely on real-time control systems that must be precise, stable, and fast—from thermal regulation and optical alignment loops to motion control and process automation. We are seeking an Embedded Controls Engineer who combines deep embedded programming expertise with strong controls and algorithms knowledge. You will design, implement, and tune the control systems that keep our hardware operating at the edge of its performance envelope.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Design, implement, and tune real-time control loops (PID, state-space, feedforward, adaptive) for thermal management, optical alignment, motion control, and process regulation across product and factory systems
Develop embedded firmware in C/C++ for microcontrollers and DSPs, including bare-metal and RTOS-based architectures, with emphasis on deterministic timing and low-latency execution
Model and simulate control systems to predict dynamic behavior, assess stability margins, and validate controller designs prior to hardware deployment
Implement sensor fusion, filtering (Kalman, complementary), and signal conditioning algorithms to extract clean, actionable signals from noisy real-world measurements
Bring up and integrate new sensors, actuators, and motor drives, defining hardware-software interfaces and writing low-level drivers (I²C, SPI, ADC, PWM, encoder interfaces)
Develop calibration routines and self-tuning algorithms that enable production-scale deployment of control systems with unit-to-unit variation
Instrument control systems for observability—logging, telemetry, and diagnostic interfaces that support real-time monitoring, fault detection, and post-hoc analysis
Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, optical, and manufacturing engineering teams to co-design systems where control performance is tightly coupled to hardware design
Support production deployment of control systems, including validation, fault handling, and graceful degradation strategies for field-deployed units
Contribute to Python-based tooling for system identification, data analysis, simulation, and automated testing of control system performance

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's or Master's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related discipline with coursework in control systems
2+ years of experience designing and implementing real-time control systems on embedded platforms
Strong proficiency in C and/or C++ for embedded development, including experience with bare-metal and RTOS environments
Solid foundation in classical and modern control theory, including PID tuning, frequency-domain analysis, and stability assessment
Experience with sensor integration, actuator interfacing, and low-level peripheral drivers (I²C, SPI, ADC, PWM, encoders)
Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for modeling, simulation, data analysis, and test automation
Strong debugging skills across hardware and software boundaries, including use of oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and serial debug interfaces
Ability to work independently in fast-moving, cross-functional environments
Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

Experience with advanced control techniques: state-space controllers, LQR/LQG, model predictive control (MPC), adaptive control, or system identification methods
Experience with motion control systems, including stepper and servo motor drives, trajectory planning, and encoder feedback
Experience with thermal control systems, including multi-zone regulation and transient thermal management
Familiarity with optical or photonic systems where control loops manage alignment, power regulation, or wavelength tuning
Experience with FPGA-based control implementations or high-speed digital control loops