Controls Engineer Jobs in Irvine, CA
Controls Engineer jobs in Irvine, California draw from a deep local base in defense electronics, medical devices, and advanced manufacturing, concentrated in the Irvine Spectrum, Irvine Business Complex, and the industrial corridors near Alton Parkway. Employers active right now include Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies, Rivian, and Parker Hannifin. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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- Design, develop, and validate active safety features such as collision avoidance, lane keeping, and emergency braking for autonomous vehicles.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate AI-based algorithms into safety-critical systems, leveraging data-driven approaches to enhance detection, prediction, and decision-making capabilities.
- Work closely with data engineering and autolabeling teams to ensure high-quality training and validation datasets for ML/AI models.
- Collaborate with data engineering and autolabeling teams to ensure high-quality, accurately labeled datasets that support the development and validation of ML/AI-driven controls and active safety features, enabling robust reasoning and decision-making capabilities in real-world scenarios.
- Analyze sensor data and vehicle dynamics to improve the performance of ML/AI models used in active safety applications.
- Develop and maintain simulation and testing frameworks to ensure robust performance in real-world scenarios.
- Troubleshoot, debug, and optimize safety features and ML/AI algorithms for reliability and performance across diverse driving environments.
- Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field.
- Direct industry experience as a software engineer in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other real-time, safety-critical environments.
- Strong proficiency in modern C++, Python, and experience with ML frameworks, along with experience applying large-scale software engineering best practices.
- Strong background in machine learning, AI, and robotics, with hands-on experience developing and deploying learning-based algorithms.
- Experience designing, deploying, and maintaining systems with core AWS services (such as S3, EC2, Lambda), and a solid understanding of cloud-native architecture.
- Familiarity with autonomous systems development, including perception, planning, or control, or related fields such as robotics, simulation, or verification and validation.
- Demonstrated ability to systematically debug and identify root causes of issues.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail
- Familiarity with automotive safety standards and real-time system development.
- Excellent problem-solving and communication skills.
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Find Controls Engineer JobsControls Engineer Job Market in Irvine
Who's Hiring
- Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies76

- Rivian38

- Parker Hannifin38

- Kiewit19

- CDM Smith19

Top Industries Hiring
- Manufacturing19
- Technology & Software19
- Construction & Real Estate19
- Transportation & Logistics19
Controls Engineer Jobs in Irvine: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a controls engineer job in Irvine?
Focus your search on Irvine's defense contractors, medical device manufacturers, and semiconductor firms, which consistently post controls engineering roles in the Irvine Spectrum and Irvine Business Complex. Hands-on PLC and SCADA experience translates directly in these sectors. Candidates who hold a PE license or have experience with FDA-regulated or MIL-SPEC environments stand out with local employers more than a general applicant pool would suggest.
Which companies hire controls engineers in Irvine?
Irvine controls engineer roles are posted by Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies, Rivian, and Parker Hannifin and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Irvine's employer mix skews toward established defense primes, medtech OEMs, and precision automation firms with permanent facilities rather than project-based contractors.
Are there remote controls engineer jobs in Irvine?
Yes, but only in specific functions. Controls engineering is largely hands-on, so fully remote roles are uncommon. About 67% of controls engineer openings tied to Irvine are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, typically covering design, simulation, or programming phases rather than commissioning or on-site integration work. Irvine's medtech and semiconductor employers most often offer hybrid arrangements for engineers in the design and validation stages.
How can I get a controls engineer job in Irvine with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in Irvine is through a technician or automation associate role at one of the city's medical device or defense manufacturing facilities, which frequently promote from within once you demonstrate hands-on PLC proficiency. UC Irvine and local community colleges offer relevant coursework that Irvine employers recognize. Building a portfolio around ladder logic projects or motion control simulations and targeting smaller Irvine automation integrators for a first role gives early-career candidates a concrete foothold.
Which industries hire the most controls engineers in Irvine?
Most controls engineer openings in Irvine sit in Manufacturing, Technology & Software, and Construction & Real Estate, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Irvine's concentration of FDA-regulated manufacturers, defense electronics primes, and semiconductor equipment companies creates sustained demand for controls talent tied to compliance-driven production environments.
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