Humanoid Locomotion Control Engineer

Persona AI is developing and commercializing rugged, multi-purpose humanoid robots that perform real work. Persona’s founding team has a decades-long history in humanoid robotics, bionics, and product development delivering robust hardware that has touched the stars, worked miles below the surface of the ocean, roamed Disney Parks, and has even been featured on a US postage stamp. Our mission is focused squarely on shipping beautiful, reliable products at massive scale, while building a customer-focused team to achieve these aims.

We're looking for exceptional engineers who dream big, thrive on challenges, and love seeing their designs come to life. We are primarily interested in candidates who have been hands-on in the development of products released to market, in the fields of autonomy, robotics, consumer products, medical devices, automotive or aerospace. We also value advanced degrees and deep expertise.

As one of the inaugural Engineers at Persona, you will have an incredible opportunity to shape the design of Persona’s humanoid robots, while also helping set the culture of the company as it grows. If you're passionate about cutting-edge technology and want to be part of a world-class team that's driving the future of manufacturing and humanoids, we'd love to hear from you.

Your Role:

• Develop and implement locomotion control algorithms for bipedal walking, including balance control, gait planning, and reactive adaptation.

• Design and optimize real-time controllers for dynamic stability, disturbance rejection and energy efficiency. 

• Integrate sensor feedback (IMUs, force/torque sensors, cameras, etc.) for state estimation and closed-loop control. 

• Simulate, test and validate walking controllers in both simulation and real-world environments.

• Collaborate with hardware, perception and planning teams to refine system performance and robustness. 

• Contribute to the development of whole-body control strategies for humanoid motion. 

We’re Looking For:

• MS or PhD in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. 

• 5+ years of experience in bipedal locomotion control, legged robotics, and dynamic systems. 

• Expertise in model-based control techniques (e.g., inverse dynamics, whole-body control, MPC). 

• Strong background in kinematics, dynamics, and optimization for robotic motion. 

• Proficiency in either Rust, C, or C++ and Python for real-time control implementation. 

• Experience with physics-based simulation tools (e.g., MuJoCo, Gazebo, PyBullet, Isaac, etc.).

• Familiarity with ROS, LCM, or other middleware for robotic systems.

Preferred or Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience with reinforcement learning or data-driven approaches for locomotion.

• Significant hands-on experience deploying control algorithms on real humanoid robots in real world settings.

• Knowledge of hardware actuation, compliance control, and force-based interactions.

• Understanding of energy-efficient locomotion strategies for long-duration operation.

Why join Persona AI?

• You'll shape technology that's redefining the possibilities of robotics and human interaction.

• Work alongside passionate teammates who value diversity, creativity, and continuous learning.

• Enjoy full access to advanced prototyping tools, labs, and the freedom to experiment and innovate.

• We offer competitive compensation, excellent benefits, flexible work environment, and equity opportunities.

Not sure if you meet all the listed qualifications? That’s okay!
We encourage you to apply anyway. Our needs are constantly evolving, and we're always looking for talented individuals who can grow with us. You might be exactly who we’re looking for — even if it’s for a role we haven’t thought of yet.

Persona AI embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We believe the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.