FPGA Engineer

Job Title

FPGA Engineer

Role Summary

Work on FPGA and SoC firmware for space electronics and high-reliability systems as a member of the Space Tech division. The team develops electromechanical, electro-optical, control, and communication systems that use DSP algorithms implemented on FPGAs/SoCs alongside general-purpose processors and microcontrollers.

Experience Level

Mid-level. The role requires approximately 5 years of professional hardware description language (VHDL/Verilog) design experience.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include designing, implementing, testing, and deploying FPGA/firmware solutions for space and high-reliability applications.

• Design, implement and maintain RTL/firmware (VHDL or Verilog) for general-purpose and mission-specific functions.
• Develop and maintain firmware for peripheral interfaces, ADCs/DACs, and serial communication links (e.g., SpaceWire, SPI, CameraLink, 1Gb+ Ethernet, MIL-1553B).
• Create and maintain automated FPGA firmware build and deployment scripts; deploy firmware to physical devices.
• Architect firmware for systems combining FPGAs, microcontrollers, and RTOS-based software.
• Optimize embedded software/firmware for radiation‑hardened and high-reliability environments.
• Perform system integration, verification, testing, and validation in lab and field conditions.
• Support compliance with relevant space and defense standards (e.g., NASA, ESA, MIL‑STD).
• Assist with hardware-software co-design, debugging, and production readiness activities.

Requirements

Must-have technical qualifications and security/eligibility requirements, followed by common preferred skills.

• Must-have: Minimum ~5 years professional experience designing with VHDL or Verilog.
• Must-have: Demonstrated experience taking HDL designs to hardware and deploying firmware to devices.
• Must-have: Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance; U.S. citizenship required (ITAR/EAR).
• Must-have: Knowledge of serial communication protocols and multi-clock-domain digital design techniques.
• Preferred / Nice-to-have: Experience with Xilinx devices (Zynq, Virtex, Kintex) and Vivado/ISE, and/or Microchip RTAX/ProASIC/RTG4 and Libero.
• Preferred / Nice-to-have: Familiarity with Xilinx SoC devices, floor planning, System Generator, and FPGA physical constraints.
• Preferred / Nice-to-have: Embedded firmware experience (C/C++, Python), RTOS/bare-metal knowledge, hardware-software co-design, and use of debuggers/logic analyzers.
• Preferred / Nice-to-have: Experience with simulation/synthesis environments (Synopsys, Aldec), verification techniques (linting, constrained-random), and working with ADC/DAC interfaces.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science required.

About the Company

Company: AeroVironment

Headquarters: Simi Valley, California, United States

AeroVironment is a U.S.-based developer of unmanned aircraft systems and autonomous technologies for defense and commercial applications. The company produces drones, loitering munitions, and advanced autonomy solutions across air, land, sea, and space, and provides engineering and integration services for military and aerospace customers.