Staff Robotics Control Engineer – Robot Hands Team

Our mission is to create an abundant supply of labor via safe, intelligent humanoids. 

We strive for excellence in all we do, solving some of the hardest problems in robotics with the world’s most talented individuals. Every part of our robots is designed and produced in-house—from motor coils to AI—reflecting our vertically integrated approach. At 1X, you’ll own real projects, be recognized for your achievements, and rewarded based on merit.

We believe the best work is done when collaborating and therefore require in-person presence in our office locations. 

As we scale from research and development to full-scale manufacturing, we are seeking a Staff Robotics Control Engineer to push the boundaries of dexterous manipulation in humanoid robotics.

This is a deeply technical and hands-on role for someone who excels in real-time control, motion planning, and force feedback systems. You will develop and refine control strategies that bring robotic hands to life, enabling human-like dexterity, precision, and adaptability in real-world applications.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop high-performance control algorithms for robotic hands, integrating force, impedance, and position control for dexterous manipulation.

• Design and implement real-time feedback control systems, ensuring seamless interaction between sensors, actuators, and motion planning layers.

• Measure the performance of your implementations against actual human manipulation performance

• Collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, and software teams to tightly integrate control strategies with hardware constraints.

• Implement sensor fusion techniques, combining data from force-torque sensors, encoders, tactile arrays, and vision systems for precision control.

• Conduct hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, refining algorithms directly on robotic platforms for real-world validation.

• Continuously optimize control architectures for low-latency execution, ensuring rapid and precise motion in complex scenarios.

• Develop simulation environments for control testing and shrink the sim to real gap

Requirements

• • Experience in real-time control of robotic systems, with a focus on precision actuation and compliant interaction.

  • Deep understanding of control theory, including nonlinear control, force control, and dynamic system modeling.

  • Proficiency in C++ for developing and testing control algorithms in a Linux environment.

  • Experience with ROS, real-time middleware, and embedded control frameworks.

  • Strong background in kinematics, dynamics, and optimization, especially in articulated or tendon-driven robotic systems.

  • Proven ability to integrate control software with embedded systems, ensuring real-world performance matches simulation.

  • Hands-on debugging and tuning of controllers on physical robotic systems.

  • Excellent problem-solving skills, applying first-principles thinking to advance robotic dexterity and manipulation.

Location Policy

We believe the best work is done when collaborating and therefore require in-person presence in our office locations.

Typical interview process 

• Introductions - interviews to learn more about you and talk about 1X and the role

  • Interview with a member of the Talent Acquisition team

  • Hiring manager / senior team member / technical interview

• Team interviews - technical interviews and deep-dives with team members. May include a take home challenge, presentation or problem-solving exercise

  • Technical deep-dive conversation with a team member 

  • Onsite interviews with team members 

• Final stages - you move to the final round

  • Expectation management with the hiring manager 

  • We will conduct reference checks

  • Job offer conversation 

Depending on the role and your background, additional interviews may be added. You are also welcome to request additional conversations with anyone you would like to meet, but didn’t get to meet during the interview process.