Staff FPGA Engineer

Job Title

Staff FPGA Engineer

Role Summary

The Staff FPGA Engineer will lead architecture, RTL development, verification, and hardware validation of avionics FPGAs for planetary rover systems. This role works on the Avionics team and owns FPGA design from concept through flight readiness and integration.

Work is primarily on-site in Hawthorne, CA, reporting to the Director of Avionics Engineering.

Experience Level

Senior — typically 10+ years of FPGA development experience including architecture, RTL, verification, and hardware bring-up.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include end-to-end FPGA development, verification, and integration for high-reliability avionics systems.

• Define FPGA logical architecture and requirements with cross-functional teams (HW, embedded SW).
• Develop FPGA RTL for Microsemi, Xilinx, or similar devices using SystemVerilog or VHDL.
• Create and run simulations and testbenches; perform timing closure, resource and stability analysis.
• Lead design reviews, maintain requirement traceability, and produce integration documentation.
• Plan and execute test campaigns from unit validation to system-level integration and flight testing.
• Support system integration, hardware bring-up, and troubleshoot issues during lab and flight tests.
• Design for space environments: assess radiation impacts, implement mitigation strategies, and ensure long-duration reliability.
• Perform hardware validation and hands-on lab work (must be able to lift up to 50 lbs for hardware bring-up).

Requirements

Required technical skills and experience for safe, reliable FPGA development in flight hardware environments.

• 10+ years of experience in FPGA RTL architecture, development, verification, deployment, and lifecycle support.
• Strong proficiency in SystemVerilog or VHDL.
• Proficiency in at least one scripting language (TCL, shell, or Python).
• Experience with advanced verification methodologies, timing analysis, and stability analysis.
• Ability to read and interpret PCB schematics and apply hardware-level constraints.
• Familiarity with embedded software integration and defining HW/SW boundaries.
• Proficiency with AXI protocols, including the AXI4 family.
• Knowledge of common serial bus interfaces such as SPI, I2C, and UART.
• Proven ability to operate with ownership in fast-paced, collaborative engineering environments.

Education Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

About the Company

Company: Venturi Astrolab

Headquarters: Hawthorne, CA, United States

Venturi Astrolab develops and operates commercial planetary rovers and related mission hardware to enable exploration and operations on distant planetary surfaces. The company designs, builds, and tests avionics, electronics, and systems for durable, flight-ready robotic vehicles for space applications.