Senior FPGA Engineer II
Rocket LabJob Title
Senior FPGA Engineer II
Role Summary
As a Senior FPGA Engineer II on Rocket Lab's Space Systems / Optical Systems team in Tucson, you will design, implement, and verify FPGA firmware for advanced electro-optical space payloads supporting U.S. Space Development Agency and Department of Defense customers. The role partners with hardware and software teams through requirements, lab bring-up, and production support.
Experience Level
Senior — 8+ years of FPGA firmware development experience (VHDL) required.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include full FPGA lifecycle development, integration support, and technical analysis.
- Design, code (VHDL), simulate, and test FPGA logic.
- Perform synthesis, implementation, and timing analysis.
- Execute debugging of designs in the lab and support hardware bring-up.
- Collaborate with hardware and software teams on requirements, interfaces, and integration.
- Provide subject-matter expertise for design and automated test procedures for customers and production support teams.
- Research and analyze datasheets, customer specifications, and manuals to determine design approach and feasibility.
Requirements
Must-have qualifications followed by preferred skills.
- Must-have: 8+ years writing FPGA firmware from scratch in VHDL.
- Must-have: Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
- Must-have: Eligible to work in the U.S. and meet ITAR-related nationality/authorization requirements for U.S. offices.
- Must-have: Physically able to commute to the Tucson facility and meet the specified vision and physical requirements.
- Preferred: Experience with Xilinx/AMD Versal architecture.
- Preferred: Experience with FPGAs/embedded systems in radiation environments (SEU/SEL mitigation) and FPGA- or ASIC-based image processing algorithms.
- Preferred: Experience creating IP in RTL and integrating IP into RTL and block designs; familiarity translating algorithms from C/Python/MATLAB to HDL.
- Preferred: Experience with software interfaces (interrupts, DMA), DDR4, Aurora, high-speed transceivers, AXI Stream and AXI Memory Mapped interfaces.
- Preferred: PCB design and schematic capture/layout experience (e.g., Altium Designer).
Education Requirements
Bachelor's degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, or a closely related discipline (as stated in the posting).
About the Company
Company: Rocket Lab
Headquarters: Long Beach, California, United States
Rocket Lab is a global leader in launch and space systems, known for its Electron rocket which has been providing reliable access to orbit since 2018. The company supports various space missions such as scientific exploration and Earth observation, and is developing the Neutron rocket for future payloads. With a focus on innovation, Rocket Lab has been instrumental in over 1,700 missions including high-profile projects like the James Webb Space Telescope and NASA's Psyche Mission.
