FPGA Engineer (Starshield)
SpaceXJob Title
FPGA Engineer (Starshield)
Role Summary
Design, develop, verify, and support FPGA firmware for SpaceX Starshield satellites, focusing on safety-critical logic, sensors, cryptography, and RF/optical communications.
The role sits on the satellite digital design team and works closely with avionics, software, and platform engineers from prototype through flight production.
Experience Level
Mid-level. The posting accepts candidates with a technical degree or equivalent experience; at least 2+ years professional software development experience may substitute for a degree.
Responsibilities
Deliver and maintain flight-quality FPGA firmware across the full lifecycle.
- Develop RTL designs and firmware for SpaceX-designed hardware and flight systems.
- Collaborate with avionics, software, platform, and hardware engineers to define and validate requirements and interfaces.
- Perform verification, synthesis, timing analysis, and lab bring-up/validation for FPGA designs.
- Create and execute verification and validation test plans; debug issues in lab and flight environments.
- Write and maintain documentation for designs, tests, and operational procedures.
- Follow SpaceX flight software development processes and support products through production and flight.
Requirements
Core technical skills and security eligibility necessary for the role. Education details are summarized separately below.
- Must-have: Experience using Verilog, SystemVerilog, or VHDL.
- Must-have: Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret / Top Secret SCI security clearance; clearance is a condition of employment.
- Must-have: Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
- Nice-to-have: Experience across RTL design, verification, synthesis, timing analysis, and lab bring-up/validation for complex digital designs.
- Nice-to-have: Experience with Xilinx SoC FPGA platforms and PS/PL interfaces, high-speed serial links (GbE, PCIe), and networking protocols (Ethernet 802.3, IPv4, UDP, TCP).
- Nice-to-have: Experience implementing DSP algorithms on FPGAs, embedded C/C++ development, and scripting (bash, Perl, Python).
- Nice-to-have: Comfortable reading circuit schematics and contributing to hardware design discussions.
- Nice-to-have: Strong communication, leadership, and teamwork skills.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics, or another engineering discipline; OR 2+ years of professional software development experience in lieu of a degree. (Equivalent practical experience is accepted.)
About the Company
Company: SpaceX
Headquarters: Hawthorne, California, United States
SpaceX is focused on developing space technologies to enable human exploration of Mars and beyond. The company is known for its advancements in rocketry and its Starlink satellite constellation, which delivers high-speed internet globally.
