Senior FPGA Engineer

CHIRP Robotics Corporation; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Equity grant

Job summary

CHIRP Robotics Corporation in Torrance, CA seeks an FPGA Engineer to design and implement complex FPGA designs for embedded robotics platforms. You will work on avionics, robotics and flight‑critical systems, and contribute to hardware/firmware development with RTL.

The role requires 3+ years, a BS in Electrical or Computer Engineering, US citizenship, and experience with VHDL/Verilog, AMD/Xilinx FPGAs, and EDA tools.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years experience with FPGA design
• Experience with VHDL/Verilog and SoC/FPGA platforms
• Proficient with EDA tools: GHDL, GTKWave, OpenOCD

Responsibilities

• Architect FPGA subsystems including data paths and interfaces.
• Integrate FPGA designs with embedded processors (ARM/RISC‑V).
• Define register maps and hardware/software interfaces for FPGA peripherals.
• Collaborate with PCB designers for signal integrity and power requirements.

Skills

FPGA design

VHDL/Verilog

SoC design

Xilinx/AMD FPGA

EDA tools

RTL/firmware

Linux/Unix

Signal integrity

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering

Tools

GHDL

GTKWave

OpenOCD

JTAG

Job description

Compensation:

Competitive salary and benefits package

• Base Salary: $100,000 - $125,000 per year
• Total Compensation (including stock options*): $175,000-$200,000

* Total compensation includes a meaningful equity grant. We're well-funded and building what we believe is a category-defining company. We're looking for mission-aligned people with high conviction in what they're building — not just employees, but owners. Our CEO was a founding engineer at SpaceX, and his vision and hands‑on expertise across hardware, software, and scaling companies are the reason our earliest team members have joined. You'll be working in a high‑paced, well‑equipped environment built for developing scalable, efficient technology — with the resources and speed to match the ambition. This role offers more than cash compensation — it's a real stake in something with that kind of leadership behind it.

Job Description:

We are seeking an FPGA Engineer to design and implement complex FPGA designs for advanced and highly embedded multidomain robotics platforms. The ideal candidate must be motivated and a self‑starter willing to expand their knowledge base and expertise.

Responsibilities:

The candidate will:

• Design, implement, and test FPGA‑based systems to enhance product capabilities
• Build hardware/firmware specifically for avionics, robotics & flight‑critical systems
• Develop and maintain RTL/firmware for peripherals, converters (ADC/DAC), and communication interfaces including 1 Gb+ Ethernet, PCIe, Serial (SPI, UART)
• Conduct simulation, hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HITL) testing and validation

Required Qualifications:

• Must be a U.S Citizen
• Prior Experience: 3+ years
• Work on location in Torrance, CA
• Minimum a BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
• Need strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to work in a small team environment
• Experience in VHDL/Verilog, SoC (System on Chip) design, and FPGA platforms.Strong preference for VHDL
• Worked with AMD/Xilinx FPGAs and/or SoC FPGAs
• Experience with Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Tools:
• GHDL, GTKWave, OpenOCD

Specific Job Tasks will Include the Following:

• Architect FPGA subsystems including data paths, memory hierarchies, and interface logic
• Integrate FPGA designs with embedded processors (ARM/RISC‑V soft or hard cores)
• Define register maps and hardware/software interfaces for FPGA peripherals
• Collaborate with PCB designers to ensure signal integrity, pin planning, and power requirements

Verification & Validation

• Develop simulation testbenches and verification environments
• Perform functional simulation and waveform analysis to validate RTL
• Perform timing analysis and timing closure across multiple clock domains
• Support system bring‑up and debug using on‑chip analyzers (e.g., ILA/SignalTap equivalents)

Hardware Debug & Integration

• Debug FPGA designs using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and JTAG tools
• Support hardware bring‑up of new boards and prototypes
• Work closely with software and controls engineers to integrate FPGA functionality into the robotics platform

General Desired Skills Include

• Linux / Mac knowledge
• Command line tools and strong Unix tools and toolchains know‑how

FPGA Related Desired Skills Include

• Familiarity with Lattice / Microchip (Microsemi / Actel) and other cost‑effective FPGA platforms / toolchains
• Experience with AXI bus (AXI Stream, AXI-4, etc.)
• Proficient with DSP on FPGA data flows and implementations highly desired
• Experience with processing, data routing and/or compute pipeline design methodologies
• Experience with timing closure techniques
• Prefer real world validation over simulated validation

Company Overview

CHIRP Robotics is a well‑funded seed‑stage startup operating in stealth mode and based in Torrance, California. The company aims to become a leading U.S. provider of modular intelligence and autonomous systems for a wide range of vehicles and applications. It has an impressive portfolio of patents on the hardware side and IP in software / algorithms. CHIRP’s CEO, a founding member of SpaceX, brings extensive technical expertise, a strong professional network, and significant business leadership experience.

Why Join Us?

• Opportunity to work on innovative and complex systems.
• Hands‑on experience with a broad range of engineering challenges.
• Collaborative and growth‑oriented work environment.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.