Control Engineer / Control Engineeress

Join Our Team at Way of Water

Way of Water is a pioneering field-robotics project at ETH Zurich, under the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control, Research D'Andrea. This role is aimed at project employees looking to contribute their engineering expertise throughout the project's lifecycle. Please note, this is not a PhD position or an academic training track; instead, we cultivate the development of autonomous surface robots designed to operate outdoors on real water, working as a cohesive team beyond the confines of the laboratory.

Your Role and Responsibilities

This position is perfect for individuals with a strong inclination towards control and systems who desire ownership of their work rather than adhering to a rigid checklist. You will be instrumental in shaping how robots navigate, perceive, and adapt in unpredictable environments. As our robotic fleet, software, and field programs expand, the scope of your responsibilities will broaden. While specialization will provide a solid foundation, a curious mindset will facilitate your growth across various aspects of the project.

Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience for this funded project role.

• Take ownership of the behavior of physical robots: define their movement, intentions, coordination, and graceful failure mechanisms.
• Transform ideas into functional software on real hardware and enhance them through meticulously designed experiments.
• Engage with sensors, actuators, mechanical limits, and electrical realities, integrating field evidence to optimize robot behavior.
• Establish repeatable testing and commissioning processes to prevent reliance on one-off heroic efforts.
• Document your findings clearly, and provide teachable setups that enable students and colleagues to build upon your work.

Qualifications

• 0–5 years of hands-on experience following your degree. This includes internships, thesis projects, and relevant paid project work.
• A background in robotics, control systems, mechanical or electrical engineering, computer science, or equivalent experience.
• Proficiency in dynamics, estimation, or control of physical systems, along with a proven track record of implementing behavior on real robots or comparable cyber-physical systems.
• Hands-on skills are crucial: you will be responsible for writing, running, and debugging software on actual hardware, engaging in bench bring-ups, field trials, logs, and measurements.
• Familiarity with programming languages like C/C++ or Python for hardware communication.
• Ability to make informed judgments based on incomplete information, demonstrating a methodical approach to investigation and iteration.
• Willingness to partake in outdoor and on-water testing, as fieldwork is an essential part of the role.
• A self-reliant working style and documentation practices that facilitate teamwork.

We value thought processes and problem-solving abilities over mere keyword matching. This is project engineering work, not an academic role. Familiarity with ROS/ROS 2, embedded or real-time constraints, multi-robot systems, or previous technical publications is appreciated but not mandatory.

Your Growth Opportunities

Your journey begins with a focus on control and autonomy. As the project evolves, you will naturally delve into topics such as estimation, planning interfaces, system integration, field campaigns, and safety-verification measures. Collaboration with mechanical and electronics engineers will enrich your understanding of integration. Growth in this position means expanding your robotics expertise and ownership within this fixed-term project. There may also be chances to join a planned spin-off if our mutual interests align post-project delivery.

Team Collaboration

You will collaborate closely with seasoned entrepreneurs, renowned scientists, and innovative engineers who are akin to artists in their craft. Our team includes individuals who have built billion-dollar companies, sent hardware to the International Space Station, and created remarkable live performance-art installations at the Venice Biennale.

We invite you to apply online using the form below.

To be considered, please submit the following documents:

• Your CV
• A brief description of one or two projects you have led. Detail what you built, any challenges faced, lessons learned, and what you would do differently. If possible, include links to code, reports, or demonstrations. Sanitized examples are perfectly acceptable.

For more information about the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control, please visit our website.

Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

Please note, our pre-selection process is handled by our responsible recruiters, not by artificial intelligence.