Senior FPGA Engineer II
Rocket LabJob Title
Senior FPGA Engineer II
Role Summary
Join the Space Systems FPGA team in Long Beach, CA to develop and verify FPGA firmware for spacecraft avionics. Work across requirements, design, implementation, verification, and test for flight and ground hardware.
Experience Level
Senior - requires 8+ years of FPGA firmware development experience.
Responsibilities
The role covers the full FPGA firmware lifecycle and system-level integration and test.
- Define firmware requirements and architecture in collaboration with multi-discipline engineering teams.
- Design and implement FPGA firmware for Xilinx and Microchip FPGAs and SoCs.
- Create and execute verification plans and testbenches; participate in unit, module, and system-level test campaigns.
- Develop operational and interface documentation for FPGA and software systems.
- Support hardware bring-up, lab testing, and fault investigation; iterate on designs based on test results and on-orbit feedback.
Requirements
Minimum qualifications and required skills for this position.
- 8+ years of FPGA firmware development experience.
- Proficiency in VHDL.
- Strong understanding of FPGA design fundamentals and digital timing.
- Experience developing firmware for Xilinx and Microchip FPGAs/SoCs.
- Experience with common interface protocols (SPI, UART, I2C, CAN) and high-speed interfaces (GigE, PCIe) preferred.
- Proficiency with embedded software and working with hardware and lab tools.
- Familiarity with version control (GIT) and issue tracking (JIRA); experience in continuous integration environments is beneficial.
- U.S. citizenship or lawful U.S. permanent residency or other status that satisfies U.S. export control requirements for the role.
Nice-to-have:
- Experience with verification frameworks such as UVM or VUnit.
- Experience with software defined radios, DSP algorithms, or feedback control systems.
- Experience with radiation effects on FPGAs (SEU/SEL) and mitigation strategies for spacecraft avionics.
- Experience in signal integrity, digital worst case circuit analysis (DWCCA), and reading PCB schematics.
Education Requirements
Required: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related engineering field. Preferred: Master’s or PhD in electrical, computer, or software engineering or related fields. The posting also accepts other engineering degrees where applicable.
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.
