Senior Vehicle Controls Engineer

What we're building The marine industry supports recreation, global commerce, and national defense. And yet it runs on technology that hasn't meaningfully changed in fifty years. Until now. Arc is on a mission to electrify the marine industry. We're rethinking powertrains, software, and vessel designs from first principles. And we're already executing. We started with consumers to develop and harden our core technology. We're now scaling production of our flagship model with new models and sectors on the horizon. Now we're extending our platform to commercial applications, starting with tugs, ferries, and defense, with years worth of signed contracts and a pipeline that spans every vessel type on the water. The technology is proven, the momentum is building, and the opportunity is enormous. The marine industry is going electric and Arc is building the platform that powers it. Who we're looking for We're looking for someone fired up by the mission and ready to build. You'll thrive here if you move fast, take ownership, and care about the details. This is a full-time, on-site role at our Los Angeles headquarters. You'll report to the Manager of Electrical Engineering and work closely with a lean, high-trust team where everyone’s work matters. What you'll do Own the vehicle level control architecture and end-to-end development of real time systems that power next generation sport watercraft capabilities, spanning foundational powertrain and BMS control to precision station keeping, intelligent propulsion, and advanced maneuvering Translate vehicle-level requirements into robust, production-ready control architectures and implementations Develop, tune, and validate control strategies and fault detection / mitigation logic for safety-critical systems Lead system bring-up, vehicle integration, and deep cross-domain debugging (electrical, firmware, and mechanical) Drive structured root cause investigations using data, instrumentation, and experimentation Define and execute validation strategies including bench testing, HIL, and production-level verification Improve system reliability, diagnosability, and serviceability across product iterations Contribute meaningfully to code reviews, design reviews, and technical problem solving within the controls team Minimum Qualifications 5+ years of experience in embedded systems, controls, or vehicle electrical integration Strong hands-on experience building and debugging real-time, hardware-integrated systems Deep familiarity with CAN-based architectures and network-level debugging tools Demonstrated experience shipping complex hardware-integrated systems into production Strong intuition for system-level tradeoffs under real-world constraints Ability to operate independently and drive execution without heavy oversight This position may require access to export-controlled information. To comply with U.S. export control laws, applicants must be a U.S. Person as defined by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) (22 CFR §120.15) Bonus Qualifications Experience with EV or marine electrical architectures Proficiency in C/C++, Rust, Python, or similar languages for embedded or automation development Experience with model-based design or control algorithm development Familiarity with DFMEA, functional safety, or reliability engineering practices Experience building automated validation or HIL infrastructure Comfort working directly with oscilloscopes, data loggers, and ECU flashing tools Comfortable pushing at a fast but sustainable pace Enthusiasm for boating and the water At Arc, we encourage diversity and consider all qualified applicants equally for employment, regardless of background, identity, or status. You're always welcome to reach out even if you don't meet many of these qualifications. Passion and aptitude make up for a lot. Our values We move with urgency and build with care. We value these five things above all else: Ownership over both your work and the company's success