Senior FPGA Engineer for Spacecraft Avionics

Rocket Lab USA; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 172,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top tier medical HMO

PPO & a 100% company-sponsored medical

Company-sponsored medical HSA plan

Dental and vision coverage

3 weeks paid vacation

5 days sick leave per year

11 paid holidays per year

Flexible spending accounts

Paid parental leave

Disability insurance

Life insurance

401(k) with company match

Employee stock purchase program

Subsidized EV charging stations

Onsite gym

Food and drinks

Other discounts

Company equity

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA seeks a Senior FPGA Engineer I to join the Space Systems FPGA team in Long Beach, CA. You will develop and verify FPGA firmware for spacecraft avionics, collaborating with cross‑functional engineers from requirements through testing, including on‑orbit validation where possible.

The role emphasizes hands-on design, verification, and documentation, with opportunities to influence mission‑critical spaceflight electronics in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical, computer, or software engineering; or other engineering degree.
• 5+ years of experience with FPGA firmware development.
• Proficiency in VHDL.
• Strong understanding of FPGA design fundamentals and principles.
• U.S. citizenship due to program requirements.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with other engineering disciplines in developing firmware architecture and requirements.
• Design and verify FPGA firmware for Xilinx and Microchip FPGA and SoC devices.
• Develop documentation for FPGA operation and interfacing with other SW and FPGA systems.
• Participate in test campaigns, ranging from module-level to automated testing at the unit and system level.

Skills

FPGA firmware development

VHDL

FPGA design fundamentals

Embedded software

U.S. citizenship requirement

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical, computer, or software engineering; or other engineering degree

Master's or PhD in electrical/computer/software engineering (nice to have)

Job description

Rocket Lab USA seeks a Senior FPGA Engineer I to join the Space Systems FPGA team in Long Beach, CA. You will develop and verify FPGA firmware for spacecraft avionics, collaborating with cross‑functional engineers from requirements through testing, including on‑orbit validation where possible.

The role emphasizes hands-on design, verification, and documentation, with opportunities to influence mission‑critical spaceflight electronics in a fast-paced environment.