Lead FPGA Design Engineer

Orchard LLC; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 123,000 - 251,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and welfare insurance

401(k) plan

Job summary

Orchard LLC in San Jose, CA is seeking an experienced FPGA Design Engineer to support avionics hardware for space applications. This on‑site role leads the full lifecycle of FPGA development, from concept through verification, production, and flight qualification, collaborating with hardware and software teams.

The successful candidate will have 8+ years of FPGA design experience, proficiency in SystemVerilog or VHDL, and a track record of high‑reliability designs. U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field.
• 8+ years of FPGA design experience.
• Proficiency in SystemVerilog and/or VHDL for RTL design.
• Experience configuring hard and soft IP and integrating third‑party IP.
• Experience with FPGA synthesis, place‑and‑route, multi‑clock architectures, and timing closure.
• Experience with fault tolerance and SEE mitigation (e.g., TMR, ECC, scrubbing).
• Strong collaboration with hardware and software teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and make recommendations to system trades, requirements capture, part selection, and design choices and implications, in an often‑ambiguous design space.
• Proactive ownership of FPGA development through design, production, satellite integration, and on‑orbit performance.
• High‑performance and reliable FPGA designs, encompassing fault tolerance, timing closure, and high‑speed communications.
• Support design bring‑up with both hardware and software teams.
• Documentation of engineering test and qualification plans, execute hardware validation through benchtop and environmental testing, troubleshooting and root cause investigations of anomalous behaviors.
• Collaborate with entire cross‑functional team (digital, software, power, PCB layout, etc.) to drive project success.

Skills

FPGA design

SystemVerilog

VHDL

RTL design

IP configuration

fault tolerance

SEE mitigation

cross‑functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering / Computer Science

Tools

AMD Xilinx Versal

Microchip RTAX/RTG4

SpaceWire

Ethernet

LVDS

RS-422/485

Job description

About the Opportunity

Orchard LLC is actively seeking an experienced FPGA Design Engineer to support our client, a leading organization in the aerospace and space technology industry. This is a hands‑on, on‑site position located in San Jose, CA. The Bus Electronics team is responsible for the design, verification, and manufacturing support for the avionics, power, and analog electronics that enable reliable, high‑powered spacecraft. These spacecraft span pLEO to deep space, enabling national defense, earth observation and communications, and interplanetary space exploration. In this role, you will lead FPGA design for next‑generation avionics systems, including high‑speed communications, payload processing, data handling, memory blocks, sensor interfaces, and more. The successful FPGA Design Engineer will have strong experience in the full‑lifecycle implementation of reliable digital designs, working effectively with both hardware and software design teams. This is an exciting opportunity to own FPGA development from concept through design implementation, qualification, production, and flight of avionics hardware for space applications.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and make recommendations to system trades, requirements capture, part selection, and design choices and implications, in an often‑ambiguous design space.
• Proactive ownership of FPGA development through design, production, satellite integration, and on‑orbit performance.
• High‑performance and reliable FPGA designs, encompassing fault tolerance, timing closure, and high‑speed communications.
• Support design bring‑up with both hardware and software teams.
• Documentation of engineering test and qualification plans, execute hardware validation through benchtop and environmental testing, troubleshooting and root cause investigations of anomalous behaviors.
• Collaborate with entire cross‑functional team (digital, software, power, PCB layout, etc.) to drive project success.

Minimum Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field.
• 8+ years FPGA design experience.
• Proficiency in the design, implementation, and simulation for RTL in SystemVerilog and/or VHDL.
• Proficiency in configuring both hard and soft IP, writing custom IP, and integrating 3rd party IP.
• Experience with FPGA synthesis, place‑and‑route, multi‑clock architectures and timing closure.
• Experience with fault tolerance and SEE mitigation strategies such as TMR, ECC, and scrubbing.
• Experience interfacing with both hardware and software design teams, and selecting the appropriate FPGA/SoCs to meet current and future roadmap requirements.

Additional Desired Qualifications

• 15+ years FPGA design experience.
• Experience with multiple FPGA vendors/families such as AMD Xilinx Versal, Microchip RTAX/RTG4.
• Experience with prototyping bring‑up, test benches, and validation.
• Experience in FPGA designs for avionics systems in space, defense, or other high‑reliability systems.
• Experience with SerDes, SpaceWire, Ethernet, LVDS, RS-422/485.
• Experience with FPGA configuration management.

Compensation

The base pay ranges for this position in California are: Staff Level: $123,000 - $205,000 annually. Principal Level: $151,000 - $251,000 annually. The successful candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job‑related factors, including experience, qualifications, knowledge, skills, geographic work location, and market conditions.

Benefits

Our client offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees, including paid time off, health and welfare insurance, and a 401(k) plan. Additionally, this position is incentive eligible, with a target based on contribution, company performance, and/or individual results achieved. The specific incentive plan and target amount will be determined based on the role and breadth of contributions.

About @Orchard LLC

Established in 2010, @Orchard LLC has an exceptional reputation for providing recruiting solutions to time‑sensitive talent scarcity issues and delivering better talent management ROI. Our specialty lies in the critical area of program talent acquisition and resource management, not in one narrow skillset, but across many areas of technical and functional delivery. To learn more about our other exciting opportunities, visit our Jobs Page at www.atOrchard.com.