Overview

We are supporting an innovative organisation developing next-generation autonomous vehicle technology in their search for an experienced Contract Robotics Engineer (Controls).

This is a hands-on engineering role focused on taking an existing trajectory control system from advanced prototype stage through to production-ready automotive software.

The successful contractor will work within an experienced Controls Engineering team, helping mature software through improved engineering practices, verification & validation, testing, documentation and functional safety processes.

This opportunity is ideal for someone who has worked on automotive control systems, ADAS, autonomous vehicles, or other safety-critical embedded software where production quality, reliability and compliance are essential.

The Opportunity

You’ll be responsible for improving the maturity and production readiness of a C++ trajectory controller that will ultimately operate within real-world autonomous vehicles.

Rather than developing algorithms from scratch, you’ll focus on ensuring existing control software meets the standards expected for deployment into production vehicle environments.

The role requires someone comfortable working with:

• Safety-critical C++ software
• Embedded vehicle systems
• Verification & Validation (V&V)
• Functional requirements
• Test development
• Automotive software processes
• Production-quality engineering standards

There will also be opportunities to support broader vehicle control functionality including ADAS features where required.

Key Responsibilities

Controller Development

• Improve the production readiness of an existing trajectory controller.
• Enhance controller software to meet automotive engineering standards.
• Identify technical gaps and implement practical improvements.
• Refine software architecture and code quality.

Verification & Validation

• Develop and improve:
  • Unit tests
  • Integration tests
  • Requirements-based tests
• Support verification and validation activities aligned with automotive development processes.
• Increase software traceability and test coverage.

Requirements & Documentation

• Define and refine software requirements.
• Produce detailed design documentation.
• Improve engineering documentation for long-term maintainability.
• Support production readiness reviews and engineering maturity assessments.

Functional Safety

• Apply best practice engineering for safety-critical software.
• Support development activities aligned with standards such as:
  • ISO 26262
  • ASIL
  • ASPICE
• Contribute towards improving software quality, validation processes and engineering governance.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with teams across:

• Controls Engineering
• Vehicle Software
• Product Engineering
• Functional Safety

to ensure software is suitable for future production deployment.

About You

You’re an experienced engineer who understands the difference between prototype software and software destined for production vehicles.

You enjoy improving existing systems by introducing robust engineering practices, stronger testing, clearer documentation and higher software quality.

You are confident working within complex C++ codebases and can quickly understand existing architectures before delivering meaningful improvements.

Experience within automotive, robotics, autonomous systems or other regulated industries would be highly beneficial.

Essential Experience

• Strong commercial C++ development experience
• Experience with trajectory control, motion control or vehicle control systems
• Background in embedded or production vehicle software
• Experience working within safety-critical environments
• Strong understanding of software verification and validation
• Experience developing unit, integration and requirements-based tests
• Understanding of software and functional requirements
• Familiarity with automotive V-cycle development
• Knowledge of ISO 26262, ASIL, ASPICE or similar safety standards
• Experience improving prototype software into production-quality systems
• Strong understanding of:
  • Memory management
  • Code quality
  • Testability
  • Traceability
  • Production software constraints
• Ability to quickly contribute within an established engineering team

Desirable Experience

Experience in one or more of the following would be advantageous:

• Model Predictive Control (MPC)
• Autonomous Vehicles (AV)
• Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
• Lane Keeping Assist
• Automated Emergency Braking (AEB)
• Vehicle dynamics or actuation systems
• Production automotive software
• Automotive OEM or Tier 1 supplier experience
• Validation or certification of third-party C++ software libraries