Work Period: July 2026 to December 2026

Location & Schedule: This is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week position with 5 days per week onsite in Needham, MA. There is no relocation or housing assistance for this position.

Join the SharkNinja Early Edge Experience: Built for early career talent. Geared toward impact. Driven by speed. Whether you're in a co-op or internship, our early talent program is designed to provide valuable exposure to the industry and a fast-paced professional environment. You’ll dive into meaningful projects and tasks that sharpen your skills and deepen your knowledge. Along the way, you’ll benefit from professional development opportunities, community events, and connections that make your experience well-rounded and enriching. Your time with us will culminate in an opportunity to showcase your contributions and learnings to SharkNinja leaders because this is a program for those ready to shape what’s next — fast.

This role: We are seeking a highly motivated Control Systems & Algorithms Co-op to join our team. We focus on developing real-time optimization and control algorithms for low-compute hardware that drive the next generation of smart household appliances. This role offers a hands-on opportunity to design, prototype, and validate control solutions that make appliances smarter, more efficient, and more reliable. This co-op opportunity will provide valuable experience in the field of control systems engineering and mechatronics with a focus on programming skills, optimization, and algorithms development. If you are passionate and want to work on challenging projects, we encourage you to apply. 

Here are some of the EXCITING things you’ll get to do:

• Design and implement real-time control algorithms for appliance subsystems (thermal, fluidic, and electromechanical)
• Work directly with pumps, heaters, boilers, AC/DC, and stepper motors, and their drivers
• Interface with low-cost sensors (temperature, flow, pressure, torque, etc.) and implement signal processing, filtering, and estimation techniques (e.g., Kalman filters, etc.)
• Apply classical control methods (frequency response analysis, PID design, and tuning) to achieve stability and robustness in systems with significant delays and nonlinearities
• Rapidly build and iterate prototypes and test rigs to validate algorithms in real hardware environments
• Collect and analyze experimental data to identify system dynamics and optimize performance
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop system design, software architecture, and bring control algorithms from concept to embedded deployment

ATTRIBUTES & SKILLS:

• Education: Current student in their third year or beyond of a bachelor's program, or currently enrolled in a master’s or doctorate program
• Must be able to work a full-time, 40-hour-per-week schedule with 5 days per week onsite in Needham, MA
• Strong understanding of control system theory (frequency response, stability margins, PID design and tuning) and design, including classical control and advanced control
• Proficiency in embedded C/C++ programming and experience with microcontrollers (e.g., STM32, ESP32, Arduino, or similar)
• Familiarity with real-time signal processing and sensor fusion techniques
• Comfort working hands-on with hardware systems (sensors, actuators, thermal and electromechanical components)
• Strong problem-solving ability and willingness to prototype quickly and iterate
• A natural and effective communicator capable of reducing abstract concepts to reality
• Able to quickly generate visual and physical definitions of new products that convey key attributes of function
• Be naturally curious and relentlessly driven to find better solutions to everyday problems
• Embodies SharkNinja's success drivers:
  • Rarely Satisfied – Adopt a “no delays” mentality in delivering against market needs/timing
  • Progress over Perfection - Make quick, daily progress and continuously adapts to achieve results rather than requiring perfect planning
  • Details Make the Difference - Can coordinate timelines & deliverables to ensure accuracy and consistency across all consumer-facing materials
  • Winning is a Team Sport - Ability to develop strong cross-functional relationships
  • Communicate for Impact - Strong communication skills - ability to deliver effective presentations to all levels of management

Preferred/ Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with MATLAB/Simulink for system modeling, state-space control, and model-based design (including Simulink Coder/code generation)
• Background in system identification, including real-time or machine-learning-based modeling
• Knowledge of nonlinear optimization algorithms suitable for low-compute, embedded environments
• Familiarity with TinyML, CMSIS libraries, or other embedded ML frameworks
• Experience with embedded system architecture and designing control software frameworks

Please note that, due to the high volume of applications for early talent roles, response times may vary depending on the specific role and timeline. Our team appreciates your patience!

Senior Model-Based Control Software Engineer – Ninja

SharkNinja is seeking a Senior Model-Based Control System Design Engineer to join our innovative Ninja team. We are looking for a technically strong, hands-on engineer with a deep understanding of control systems and model-based design, a passion for product innovation, and a proven track record in leading complex, cross-functional projects from concept through mass production.

As a senior member of the Ninja Control Systems team, you focus on developing real-time optimization and control algorithms for low-compute hardware that drive the next generation of smart household appliances. You will leverage model-based design methodologies to develop, simulate, validate, and deploy control algorithms from system-level models to embedded implementation. You will play a pivotal role in developing smart systems that are the “brain” in our most complex and powerful new products. The Senior Model-Based Design Engineer is involved in the full product lifecycle from early-stage concept development and prototyping all the way to mass production, continuously iterating and making improvements throughout the process.

The engineer owns the system models that serve as the single source of truth for system behavior, ensuring traceability from requirements to implementation and validation. The senior engineer provides technical leadership, mentors junior engineers, and owns the control strategy and system design across multiple product lines. You will collaborate with R&D, Product Development, and Advanced Engineering to ensure seamless integration of electronics, software, and mechanical systems.

Essential Functions:

Leadership and Strategy:
Lead the architecture, design, and ownership of advanced control systems across diverse product platforms, serving as the technical authority for system behavior, control strategy, and cross-domain integration.

System-Level Modeling Ownership:
Develop and maintain high-fidelity system models (plant + control) that represent the dynamic behavior of electromechanical systems. Ensure models are used as the foundation for requirements definition, design validation, and software implementation.

Model-Based Design & Simulation:
Develop, simulate, and validate control algorithms using tools such as MATLAB/Simulink and related MBD toolchains.
Support auto-code generation workflows and ensure alignment between models and embedded implementation.

Programming and Simulation:
Utilizing programming languages such as Python, MATLAB, C++, and others relevant to control systems engineering. Using simulation and modeling of mechatronic systems to validate control strategies and design choices.
Experience with automatic code generation and integrating generated code into embedded systems.

Control Software Definition & Prototyping:
Define, prototype, and validate control software behavior, algorithms, and system state machines that serve as the reference implementation for production embedded firmware.
Use models as executable specifications for control logic and state machines.

Advanced Control Techniques:
Employ advanced control strategies, including PID, Model Predictive Control (MPC), adaptive control, and robust control, to address complex control challenges in real-time applications in low-compute devices.

Signal Processing:
Apply signal processing algorithms for noise reduction, feature extraction, and system optimization. This includes expertise in filter design, Fourier transforms, and spectral analysis to enhance the accuracy and reliability of control systems.

Embedded Software Collaboration:
Work closely with embedded software engineers to review code-level implementations, validate correctness against control specifications, and ensure alignment with intended system behavior and system-level requirements.
Ensure consistency between model-generated code and hand-written embedded code.

Nice to have:

Collaboration and Documentation:
Work closely with cross-functional teams to develop comprehensive control solutions. Develop and maintain thorough documentation, including functional specifications, design specifications, test plans, and procedures, to ensure project clarity and continuity.
Maintain model documentation and ensure traceability between requirements, models, and implementation.

Design and Development:
Design, develop, and test control systems tailored for consumer appliances. This includes integrating mechatronics principles to ensure the seamless operation of software and mechanical systems with electronic control. Use simulation-driven design to evaluate system performance early in development.

Attributes:

Strong theoretical understanding of control systems’ fundamentals and the ability to apply this to deliver robust, elegant, and innovative solutions to real-world controls challenges
Strong intuition for system dynamics and ability to translate physical behavior into mathematical models.

Solid analytical skills, attention to detail, and relentless drive to identify potential problems and take responsibility for their resolution

Intellectual curiosity and creativity, strong logical thinking skills, and a positive can-do attitude

Willingness to roll up sleeves and get your hands dirty testing and troubleshooting issues

Ability to clearly, effectively, and concisely communicate with both technical and non-technical colleagues both verbally and in writing

Comfortable multitasking and responding quickly to shifting priorities without losing sight of longer-term projects and goals

Qualifications:

M.S. or Ph.D. in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, or Computer Engineering, or a related field.

5+ years of industry experience in control systems engineering, including end-to-end product development, from concept through production.

Deep understanding of classical and advanced control theory, including PID, MPC, adaptive, and robust control methods, with a strong track record of real-world implementation.

Strong experience with model-based design workflows using MATLAB/Simulink or similar tools.

Mid-level proficiency in Python, C/C++, and MATLAB/Simulink for algorithm development, simulation, and embedded control deployment.

Proficient with analog and digital electronics, sensors, actuators, motor drivers, power electronics, and test equipment commonly used in electromechanical systems and small appliances.

Demonstrated competency in electromechanical prototyping using platforms like Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or custom embedded solutions.

Ability to debug electromechanical failures using logic analyzers, oscilloscope, etc.

Experienced in using industry-standard development tools, source control (e.g., Git), and documentation platforms.

Skilled in preparing and delivering technical documentation, design reviews, and project plans for cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

Experience with auto-code generation, embedded coder tools, or equivalent is strongly preferred.

This is a hands-on, in-person role based at our Needham, MA office due to close work with prototypes and lab-based development.