39 OPEN
SALARIES · CONTROLS ENGINEER
Controls Engineer [YoY +8%]
Median total compensation for controls engineer roles in robotics, AI, and autonomy. Open roles by salary, direct from each employer.
[ SENIOR COMPENSATION · ANNUAL · BASE ]
$190,000 – $245,000USD
§ 01Compensation by level
[ MID ]
$140K
[ SENIOR ]
$190K
[ STAFF ]
$245K
[ PRINCIPAL ]
$310K
§ 02Top-paid open roles
- 01Senior / Staff Software Engineer - Learned Trajectory Machine Learning EngineerZoox·Foster City, CA$242K–$349K
- 02
Senior Staff Software Engineer, Motion PlanningAgility Robotics·Remote$216K–$337K - 03Senior/Staff Software Engineer - Motion PlanningZoox·Foster City, CA$229K–$331K
- 04
Tech Lead / Manager - Trajectory Generation and ControlsWayve·Sunnyvale, California USA$276K–$311K - 05WPlatform Systems Engineer; Motion Planning and ControlWaabi·Phoenix, AZ$148K–$292K
- 06Software Engineer - Motion PlanningZoox·Foster City, CA$168K–$270K
- 07Software Engineer - Learned Trajectory Machine Learning EngineerZoox·Foster City, CA$189K–$270K
- 08WSenior / Staff Software Engineer, Motion PlanningWaabi·Remote US & Canada$158K–$269K
- 09
Senior Motor Controls EngineerAnduril Industries·Costa Mesa, California, United States$191K–$253K - 10Senior Motor Controls EngineerAnduril Industries·Costa Mesa, California, United States$191K–$253K
§ 03Top employers hiring controls engineers
| Employer | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Anduril Industries | 9 | $170K |
| Zoox | 4 | $255K |
| Motional | 2 | — |
| Viam | 2 | $220K |
| Waabi | 2 | $217K |
| Conspicuous | 1 | — |
| Confidential | 1 | — |
| AstraZeneca | 1 | $166K |
§ 04Top cities hiring controls engineers
| Metro | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Mesa | 8 | $170K |
| Foster City | 4 | $255K |
| New York | 3 | $220K |
| Mountain View | 2 | $215K |
| London | 1 | — |
| Manassas | 1 | $0K |
| California | 1 | $166K |
| Ashville | 1 | $99K |
§ 05FAQ
- How much do controls engineers make in the robotics industry?
- Senior controls engineers in the robotics industry typically earn $190K base salary at top employers. Staff-level roles run $245K and principal-level reach $310K. Numbers are median base salary across 104 data points; total compensation including equity is typically 15-30% higher at private robotics employers.
- Who is hiring the most controls engineers right now?
- Anduril Industries (9 open roles), Zoox (4 open roles), and Motional (2 open roles) lead by open-role volume. Browse all 39 open controls engineer roles sorted by recency.
- Where are most controls engineer jobs located?
- The top robotics industry hubs for controls engineer roles right now are Costa Mesa, Foster City, and New York. Defense robotics tends to concentrate in DC/Northern Virginia and Colorado Springs (clearance-required roles), while commercial launch is heaviest in LA basin and Florida's Space Coast.
- Do controls engineer roles in robotics, AI, and autonomy require security clearance?
- Many do. Defense robotics programs at Anduril, Shield AI, Saronic, and defense primes require Secret or TS/SCI clearance. Commercial robotics roles at Boston Dynamics, Apptronik, 1X, Skydio, and Wayve generally do not. ITAR registration is more common than clearance — many sensor, autonomy, and unmanned-systems roles require it.
§ 06See all open roles
Browse every controls engineer role