Embedded Controls Engineer -- Thermal/Fluid Systems
Somerville, MAFull-timePosted 5mo agoStill listed 1 day ago
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Job overview
Mesodyne is hiring an Embedded Controls Engineer -- Thermal/Fluid Systems. Mesodyne is seeking an Embedded Controls Engineer specializing in thermal/fluid systems. This role involves designing, implementing, and tuning multiple interacting feedback loops for a miniature chemical process plant. The engineer will work with C/C++ firmware on an STM32 microcontroller, focusing on practical application rather than academic exercises or PLC automation. The position requires significant hands-on lab work to validate and tune control algorithms on physical prototypes.
Key focus areas include Design and optimize control strategies for thermal, fluidic, and electrical domains, Translate control theory math into robust, real-time C/C++ code, and Implement, debug, and validate algorithms on STM32 microcontroller firmware.
Successful candidates bring B.S., M.S., Or Ph.D. In Mechanical/Electrical/Chemical/Systems/Robotics Engineering. Important skills include Control System Architecture Design, PID Control, Nested Loops, Feedforward Control, State-Space Control, and MIMO Control. Preferred (not required): Managing Slow, Non-Linear, Interacting Physical Processes, Process Control, Thermal Systems, and Mechatronics.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
Mesodyne is looking for an Embedded Controls Engineer (Thermal/Fluid Systems) who treats controls as a practical tool to govern real-world physics, not just an academic exercise.
Think of the LightCell as a miniature, real-time chemical process plant packed into a portable footprint. This role is not about calculating aerospace flight paths or coding PLC factory automation line logic. Instead, you will design, implement, and tune multiple interacting, nested feedback loops—simultaneously throttling microfluidic fuel delivery, managing air-to-fuel ratios, and maintaining precise thermal boundaries—all written directly in C/C++ firmware for an STM32 running FreeRTOS.
Key Responsibilities
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Control System Architecture: Design and optimize control strategies (PID, nested loops, feedforward, state-space, and MIMO, etc.) to manage the interconnected thermal, fluidic, and electrical domains of the LightCell.
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Bare-Metal Firmware Implementation: Translate control theory math directly into robust, real-time code. Implement, debug, and validate these algorithms directly in C/C++ on our STM32 microcontroller firmware. (No PLCs or ladder logic—you own the firmware level of the control system).
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Practical System Modeling: Develop mathematical models of physical components (heaters, pumps, valves, and combustion dynamics) using MATLAB/Simulink or Python to execute hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations and predict transient responses. Use modeling to accelerate deployment, ensuring it serves as a bridge to real code rather than a final product.
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Hands-On Lab Tuning & Validation: Spend substantial time in the lab. Set up step-response testing, capture sensor data, and tune control coefficients on live physical prototypes to conquer highly non-linear thermal and fluidic dynamics. Qualifications & Skills
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Education: B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Systems, or Robotics Engineering. (We value a strong background in process control, thermal systems, or mechatronics).
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Control Loop Mastery: Deep practical and mathematical understanding of classical controls (Transfer Functions, PID, nested loops, feedforward, and stability margins). Experience managing slow, non-linear, interacting physical processes (thermal, pneumatic, hydraulic, or chemical) is highly preferred.
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C/C++ Firmware Competency: Production-grade proficiency writing digital control code directly in C/C++ for resource-constrained microcontrollers. This is a firmware-heavy role; pure MATLAB modelers or industrial PLC programmers will not fit the technical scope.
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Practical Test Skills: Eager to validate algorithms on physical hardware, tuning loops on live test setups to manage non-linear dynamics. Location
This position is based at our facility in Somerville, MA.
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How this job compares
Set against the 434 open Embedded Systems Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 11, 2026.
- Pay
- This postingNot listed
- US median$129–191K/yr289 salary ranges
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 24 open Embedded Systems Engineer jobs in Massachusetts and 434 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Massachusetts
- Textron3 open
- Kelly Services2 open
- Mesodyne (this employer)2 open
- Experience
- Embedded Systems Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 3 to 8 years (336 postings).
- Education
- This posting asks for a bachelor's degree; 245 of the 434 open Embedded Systems Engineer jobs (56%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 11, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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