Senior Electrical Engineer, FPGA Development

True Anomaly, Inc.; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Time off

Lunch provided

401(k) plan

Equity

Dog Fridays

Job summary

True Anomaly, Inc. in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior FPGA Developer to lead architecture, implementation, and verification of FPGA-based systems for our spacecraft.

You will own the domain end-to-end from requirements through on-orbit support while collaborating with avionics, embedded software, and test teams to deliver high-reliability solutions. The role requires deep FPGA experience, strong VHDL/Verilog skills, and a track record of delivering radiation-tolerant designs in a fast-paced

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of professional FPGA design and development experience.
• Deep expertise in VHDL and/or Verilog and FPGA synthesis flows.
• Experience with Microsemi/Microchip, Xilinx/AMD, or Intel/Altera FPGA families and toolsets.
• Experience with simulation and verification tools such as ModelSim, QuestaSim, or similar.
• Experience designing high-speed Ethernet interfaces in FPGA fabric (MAC/PHY), UDP/TCP offload, high-throughput data paths.
• Experience with Layer 2 Ethernet switch development, VLAN handling, port arbitration.
• Experience with other high-speed serial interfaces (PCIe) and common buses (SPI, I2C, UART).
• Radiation mitigation techniques for space-grade digital logic.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture and implementation of complex FPGA systems with multiple clock domains and high reliability.
• Own end-to-end FPGA development: requirements capture, HDL coding, simulation, synthesis, timing closure, integration.
• Lead multi-board backplane and payload data bus design with compliance and margin validation.
• Define and manage verification plans for full digital subsystems and FP...

Skills

FPGA design

VHDL/Verilog

HDL tools

Xilinx/AMD/Intel

ModelSim/QuestaSim

Ethernet MAC/PHY

Radiation mitigation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field

Tools

Xilinx/AMD/Intel toolchains

Space-grade FPGA families

Job description

Senior Electrical Engineer, FPGA Development

Long Beach, CA

Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it.

OUR MISSION

True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors — enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground.

OUR VALUES

• Be the offset.We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity.
• What would it take?We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results.
• It’s the people. Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together.

BENEFITS & PERKS *

• Best-in-class healthcare: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, with HSA/HRA options
• Generous time off: Flexible Time Off (FTO) for exempt employees, accrued PTO of up to 25 days for non-exempt employees, plus 12 paid holidays; Parental Leave; Sick Leave
• Fuel for your day: Daily catered lunch and unlimited snacks for in-office employees
• And more: 401(k) retirement plan, fitness reimbursement, and Dog Fridays
• Equity participation: Equity is included as part of our total compensation package, giving you an opportunity to share in the company’s success.

*Do not apply to fixed term and temporary roles

YOUR MISSION

True Anomaly is seeking a talented and experienced Senior FPGA Developer to lead the architecture, implementation, and verification of complex FPGA-based systems for our spacecraft. In this role, you will own your technical domain end-to-end — from requirements capture and architecture definition through simulation, integration, and on-orbit support — while managing ambiguity and driving cross-team delivery with minimal oversight. You will define FPGA-to-CPU/SoC interface architectures, lead verification planning across full digital subsystems, and bring a system-aware perspective that balances performance, cost, and risk across disciplines. As a senior contributor, you will mentor peers, raise the technical bar across the team, and introduce new approaches to complex problems. You will collaborate closely with avionics, embedded software, and test teams to build high-reliability, radiation-tolerant firmware solutions that are fielded on real spacecraft.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the architecture and implementation of complex FPGA systems with multiple clock domains, high-speed interfaces, and stringent reliability requirements
• Own end-to-end FPGA development: requirements capture, functional block definition, HDL coding, simulation, synthesis, timing closure, and hardware integration
• Lead multi-board digital backplane and payload data bus design, driving compliance, margin validation, and derating analysis
• Define and manage verification and validation plans for full digital subsystems, integrating FPGA verification activities with system-level test
• Define FPGA-to-CPU/SoC interface architectures and collaborate with embedded software teams on protocol design and integration
• Develop and integrate COTS and custom IP cores into complete, production-ready solutions
• Implement radiation mitigation strategies including TMR, ECC, and scrubbing for space applications
• Lead cross-team delivery of FPGA development milestones, managing dependencies and setting clear checkpoints
• Mentor peers and junior engineers, elevating design quality and development practices across the team
• Develop and maintain design documentation, ICDs, verification plans, and test reports
• Participate in all aspects of the product development lifecycle, from concept through production, integration, and launch

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of professional experience in FPGA design and development
• Deep expertise in VHDL and/or Verilog and FPGA synthesis flows
• Experience with Microsemi/Microchip, Xilinx/AMD, or Intel/Altera FPGA families and associated toolsets
• Experience with simulation and verification tools such as ModelSim, QuestaSim, or similar
• Experience designing and implementing high-speed Ethernet interfaces in FPGA fabric, including MAC/PHY integration, UDP/TCP offload, and high-throughput data path design
• Experience with Layer 2 Ethernet switch development, including frame forwarding, VLAN handling, and port arbitration
• Experience with other high-speed serial interfaces (PCIe) and common bus protocols (SPI, I2C, UART)
• Experience with radiation mitigation techniques for space-grade digital logic
• Experience reading and interpreting electrical schematics and collaborating with hardware design teams
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience with spacecraft FPGA development and space-qualified or radiation-hardened device families (PolarFire, ProASIC3, SmartFusion2, etc.)
• Experience defining and executing FPGA-to-CPU/SoC interface architectures in collaboration with embedded software teams
• Familiarity with SpaceWire and other spacecraft-specific data bus standards
• Familiarity with signal integrity analysis and high-speed digital design practices
• Exposure to software development in C, C++, or Python for firmware integration and test scripting
• Knowledge of schematic capture tools (Altium Designer preferred)
• Experience working in a fast-paced, startup environment or a similarly dynamic setting

COMPENSATION

• Equity + Benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO and paid holidays, 401K, Parental Leave

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job‑related knowledge and skills, education, location, and experience.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to maintain or obtain TS// SCI clearance
• Work Location— this role will be onsite at our Long Beach, CA location, with travel to other sites as needed.
• Work environment—the work environment; temperature, noise level, inside or outside, or other factors that will affect the person's working conditions while performing the job.
• Physical demands—the physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting, lifting and driving.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

The person hired will have access to information and items controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the ITAR, you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S. (i.e., current Green Card holder), lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.Are you currently a U.S. Person as described above, or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorization? * Select...

If other, please provide details as it relates to ITAR eligibility. Answer N/A if not applicable. *

Do you need, or will you need in the future, any immigration related support or sponsorship from True Anomaly in order to begin or continue employment with True Anomaly? This includes support (such as J-1, F-1, CPT letter or STEM OPT Training Plan), visa sponsorship for employment (H-1B, H-1B1, E-1, O-1, or TN), and any EAD holders that will need longer term employment authorization (temporary work visa or permanent residency). * Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in True Anomaly’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.