Control Specialist - Optomechatronics

About this job

We are currently looking for a Control Specialist - Optomechatronics to join the team in Delft.

As an Optomechatronic Control Specialist, you will contribute to cutting-edge projects in the space and semiconductor domains. You serve as the key contact for all control-related topics within multidisciplinary opto-mechatronic teams. Depending on the project, you may operate as the sole control expert or lead a small group of 2–3 dynamics and control specialists. You’ll work at the intersection of mechanics, optics, and control, shaping high-performance systems from concept to realization.

Main responsibilities

• Act as the primary point of contact for the control discipline within complex opto-mechatronic projects.
• Lead or support a small team of control engineers and dynamics specialists.
• Contribute to the design of high-precision opto-mechatronic systems, including dynamic modeling, control architecture, error budgeting, and performance analysis.
• Perform frequency-domain analyses (Bode, Nyquist, spectral density) and interpret system behavior to guide design decisions.
• Develop implementable, high-performance control algorithms tailored to complex mechanical and optical systems.
• Conduct (or oversee) data-driven tasks such as system identification, controller tuning, and performance validation.
• Collaborate closely with adjacent disciplines such as system engineering, optics, and mechanical design.
• Translate system-level requirements into actionable control specifications and communicate results back to project stakeholders.
• Interface with partners, customers, suppliers, and subcontractors, including participation in specification development and acceptance testing.
• Support project planning by estimating control-related workload, timelines, and resources.
• Facilitate team progress, monitor deliverables, and ensure technical quality.
• Balance scientific curiosity with timely delivery of project milestones.

Requirements

• MSc in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Control; a PhD is preferred.
• Hands-on experience with high-tech mechatronic systems and familiarity with optical concepts.
• Strong foundation in linear system theory, controller design, dynamic modeling, and error budgeting.
• Proficient in interpreting frequency-domain analyses (Bode, Nyquist) and relating them to mechanical, optical, or disturbance-driven behavior.
• Experience with opto-mechatronic system design and an understanding of optical terminology and design principles.
• Ability to develop practical and high-performance control solutions for complex systems.
• Comfortable working in experimental environments, including data-driven evaluation and troubleshooting.
• Excellent communication skills, creativity, and a collaborative mindset.
• Ability to manage or oversee control-related project activities, including planning, task allocation, and progress monitoring.
• Experience interacting with system engineers, optical specialists, and external stakeholders.
• Capable of defining hardware specifications and acceptance criteria.
• Proactive, curious, and motivated to push technological boundaries while delivering high-quality results on time.

Our story

At S[&]T we contribute to a safer life on earth by translating space data into valuable and actionable insights. We oversee data from instruments to application, and apply our expertise within our software frameworks, information products and consultancy.

Our society relies on space and scientific instruments for climate change monitoring, navigation, defence and national security, and other crucial services we all use in our daily lives. These instruments produce an enormous quantity of complex data, and our goal is to unlock its value.

We have more than 20 years of experience working on instrument calibration, the creation of data quality monitoring tools, the development of real-time data processing frameworks, and the development of application-specific algorithms. With this, we help organisations, governments and industries to strengthen their information position and thereby improve their decision making. We focus on the following domains: Space & Science, Defence & Security, Environment & Sustainability, and High-Tech Consulting.