Principal Research Engineer - Control, Optimization & Safety Systems

Overview
Arm is extending its "Arm everywhere" vision into robotics and embodied AI-where intelligence must operate under real-world constraints of latency, power, and safety. We are building a new robotics research lab in Austin focused on the science of integration-understanding how different paradigms (learning, control, planning) work together in real robotic systems, and how they map onto heterogeneous compute.
This role focuses on control, optimization, and safety as the foundation of deployable embodied AI. You will develop real-time control and safety-critical systems, and integrate them with learning-based components in hierarchical architectures. A key focus is ensuring that behavior can be bounded, verified, and enforced across the system.
Responsibilities

• Develop control algorithms (e.g., MPC, optimal control) for complex robots
• Integrate control with learning-based components in hierarchical systems
• Design safety mechanisms (runtime assurance, constraint enforcement)
• Contribute to real-time system design under strict latency constraints
• Enable system-level integration across ML, perception, and systems
• Translate safety and control requirements into compute and architecture insights

Required Skills and Experience

• Strong background in control theory, robotics dynamics, optimization
• Experience with real-time or safety-critical systems
• Proficiency in C++ and/or Python
• Experience with robotic platforms and simulators
• Publications in top-tier venues

"Nice To Have" Skills and Experience

• MPC, trajectory optimization
• Control Barrier Functions or safety-constrained control
• Formal methods and verification
• Learning-based control
• Experience with high-DOF or humanoid robots

In Return
You will help define how robotic systems are made safe, reliable, and controllable-shaping both Arm's research direction and the architectures that will power robots at global scale.
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Salary Range:
$249,900-$338,100 per year
We value people as individuals and our dedication is to reward people competitively and equitably for the work they do and the skills and experience they bring to Arm. Salary is only one component of Arm's offering. The total reward package will be shared with candidates during the recruitment and selection process.
Accommodations at Arm
At Arm, we want to build extraordinary teams. If you need an adjustment or an accommodation during the recruitment process, please email [email protected] . To note, by sending us the requested information, you consent to its use by Arm to arrange for appropriate accommodations. All accommodation or adjustment requests will be treated with confidentiality, and information concerning these requests will only be disclosed as necessary to provide the accommodation. Although this is not an exhaustive list, examples of support include breaks between interviews, having documents read aloud, or office accessibility. Please email us about anything we can do to accommodate you during the recruitment process.
Hybrid Working at Arm
Arm's approach to hybrid working is designed to create a working environment that supports both high performance and personal wellbeing. We believe in bringing people together face to face to enable us to work at pace, whilst recognizing the value of flexibility. Within that framework, we empower groups/teams to determine their own hybrid working patterns, depending on the work and the team's needs. Details of what this means for each role will be shared upon application. In some cases, the flexibility we can offer is limited by local legal, regulatory, tax, or other considerations, and where this is the case, we will collaborate with you to find the best solution. Please talk to us to find out more about what this could look like for you.
Equal Opportunities at Arm
Arm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal opportunities are available to all applicants and colleagues. We are a diverse organization of dedicated and innovative individuals, and don't discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.