Staff Controls Engineer

Role Summary / Purpose 

The Staff Controls Engineer reports to the Chief Technology Officer and serves as the technical lead and supervisor for the design, architecture, and verification of automatic control systems across CorVent ventilator platforms.
 

This role provides strategic direction for control system development, ensures compliance with medical device standards, and leads the Principal Control Engineer and supporting staff in the delivery of robust, reliable, and safe ventilator control performance. 

The Staff Controls Engineer defines the system-level control philosophy and continuously drives innovation in feedback, estimation, and adaptive control methods. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Provide technical leadership for all control system design, architecture, and integration activities. 

• Supervise and mentor the Principal Control Engineer and other team members, ensuring quality, consistency, and regulatory compliance. 

• Define performance objectives for dynamic control of ventilator subsystems (blower, valves, sensors, patient interface). 

• Lead model-based design (Matlab/Simulink, Stateflow) for algorithm development, verification, and code generation. 

• Direct the synthesis, simulation, and validation of feedback and feedforward control systems, including nonlinear and adaptive methods. 

• Conduct uncertainty and sensitivity analyses, including propagation of error for dynamic system robustness. 

• Specify and validate filter designs (IIR, FIR, low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, notch, differentiators) for signal conditioning and sensor processing. 

• Apply advanced estimation and prediction methods: least squares, observers, algebraic methods, and Kalman filters. 

• Lead formal design reviews, test planning, and risk management activities per ISO 14971 and FDA design control. 

• Communicate technical status, issues, and progress to the CTO and executive leadership. 

• Oversee preparation of design documentation for DHF, RMF, and regulatory submissions. 

• Promote continuous improvement in modeling, simulation, and algorithm verification practices. 

Qualifications and Requirements 

• Ph.D. or M.S.E. in Control Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Applied Physics. 

• Minimum 10+ years of experience designing feedback control systems, preferably in medical or safety-critical applications. 

• Mastery of feedback control theory: continuous, discrete, state-space, and frequency-domain design. 

• Deep experience in:
  • Nonlinear control methods (windup prevention, direct and indirect adaptive control, nonlinear optimization)
  • Filter design (IIR, FIR, LP, HP, BP, notch, differentiators)
  • Uncertainty & sensitivity analysis; propagation of error 

• Skilled in Matlab/Simulink modeling, scripting, and automatic code generation for embedded systems. 

• Demonstrated success leading technical teams and coordinating cross-functional projects. 

• Excellent communication, documentation, and leadership skills. 

Preferred Knowledge / Experience 

• Pneumatic, electromechanical, and thermodynamic system modeling. 

• Proportional valve and blower control experience. 

• Motor control, including field-oriented control (FOC) of brushless DC motors. 

• Strong understanding of IEC 60601-1, IEC 62304, and ISO 13485 processes. 

• Experience in model predictive control (MPC), edge AI integration, or adaptive learning algorithms.