49 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
§ 01
Compensation by level
[ MID ]
$140K
[ SENIOR ]
$190K
[ STAFF ]
$245K
[ PRINCIPAL ]
$310K
§ 02
Top-paid open roles
- 01Senior / Staff Software Engineer - Motion PlanningZoox·Foster City, CA$254K–$350K
- 02Senior / Staff Software Engineer - Learned Trajectory Machine Learning EngineerZoox·Foster City, CA$242K–$349K
- 03ASenior Staff Software Engineer, Motion PlanningAgility Space·Remote$216K–$337K
- 04WPlatform Systems Engineer; Motion Planning and ControlWaabi·Phoenix, AZ$148K–$292K
- 05Software Engineer - Motion PlanningZoox·Foster City, CA$168K–$270K
- 06WSenior / Staff Software Engineer, Motion PlanningWaabi·Remote US & Canada$158K–$269K
- 07
Senior Motor Controls EngineerAnduril Industries·Costa Mesa, California, United States$191K–$253K - 08Senior Motor Controls EngineerAnduril Industries·Costa Mesa, California, United States$191K–$253K
- 09
Senior Motion Planning EngineerVirtualVocations·Alexandria, Virginia, US$120K–$250K - 10Chassis Controls Engineer, Brakes & SteeringZoox·Foster City, CA$157K–$245K
§ 03
Top employers hiring controls engineers
| Employer | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Anduril Industries | 17 | $147K |
| Zoox | 4 | $257K |
| Viam | 2 | $220K |
| Motional | 2 | — |
| Kodiak Space | 2 | $215K |
| Waabi | 2 | $217K |
| Shield AI | 2 | — |
| Confidential | 1 | — |
§ 04
Top cities hiring controls engineers
| Metro | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Mesa | 10 | $159K |
| Ashville | 6 | $147K |
| Foster City | 4 | $257K |
| London | 3 | — |
| Mountain View | 3 | $215K |
| New York | 3 | $220K |
| Austin | 1 | — |
| Manassas | 1 | $0K |
§ 05
FAQ
- 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 (17 open roles), Zoox (4 open roles), and Viam (2 open roles) lead by open-role volume. Browse all 49 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, Ashville, and Foster City. 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.
§ 06
Browse every controls engineer role