Controls Engineer II
Posted Sep 18, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a control algorithm you took from simulation to working hardware. What surprised you on the real system?
What they are checking: Whether they have bridged the gap between models and real hardware, where most control problems appear.
Tell me about working with firmware and hardware engineers to solve a control problem none of you could solve alone.
What they are checking: Whether they collaborate well across disciplines on a team that develops motors and electronics in-house.
What interests you about controls in cordless tools compared with other motor control work?
What they are checking: Whether they are motivated by the specific challenges of compact, battery-powered, high-performance products.
What would you do
A tool kicks back hard when a bit binds. How would you think about detecting that and reacting in control software?
What they are checking: Whether they think about safety-related control features that protect the user, not just performance.
Your control loop is stable on the bench but oscillates in a cold tool with a half-empty battery. How do you approach it?
What they are checking: Whether they test and design across the full range of temperature and battery voltage seen on jobsites.
About the work
Walk me through how field-oriented control works for a brushless motor, and when you might choose simpler six-step commutation instead.
What they are checking: Whether they understand motor control well enough to pick a method based on cost, noise and performance in a tool.
How would you tune a speed control loop for a drill that has to hold speed as the load changes suddenly?
What they are checking: Whether they can tune for real load changes and understand the trade-off between response and stability.
How do you model a plant when you don't have good data on it, like friction in a gear train or a battery's internal resistance?
What they are checking: Whether they can identify system parameters from tests rather than relying on datasheet numbers.
What tools do you use for control design, like MATLAB and Simulink, and how do you get that work into embedded code?
What they are checking: Whether they can move designs into fixed-point or resource-limited firmware that actually runs on the product.
How do you estimate rotor position without a sensor, and where does that approach struggle?
What they are checking: Whether they understand sensorless control limits at low speed and startup, common issues in power tools.
How do you decide that a control design is robust enough to release?
What they are checking: Whether they use stability margins, corner-case testing and data rather than a few good runs.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Milwaukee Tool.