Senior FPGA Engineer: Spacecraft Firmware & On-Orbit Testing

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

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Company-sponsored HSA

Dental & Vision coverage

Vacation & sick leave

11 paid holidays

401(k) with company match

Stock purchase program

Onsite gym

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior FPGA Engineer I to develop and verify FPGA firmware for spacecraft avionics. You will collaborate across disciplines from requirements through testing, with opportunities to test on orbit in a fast-paced space systems environment.

Qualifications include 5+ years of FPGA firmware experience, VHDL proficiency, and U.S. citizenship for ITAR. The role offers strong benefits and a base pay range in California's market.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, computer, or software engineering; or other engineering degree.
• 5+ years of FPGA firmware development experience.
• 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

U.S. citizenship due to program

Xilinx & Microchip devices

Verification frameworks (UVM, VUnit)

Embedded software

Digital timing / DWCCA

SPI/UART/I2C/CAN protocols

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical, computer, or software engineering

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

Tools

GIT

JIRA

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior FPGA Engineer I to develop and verify FPGA firmware for spacecraft avionics. You will collaborate across disciplines from requirements through testing, with opportunities to test on orbit in a fast-paced space systems environment.

Qualifications include 5+ years of FPGA firmware experience, VHDL proficiency, and U.S. citizenship for ITAR. The role offers strong benefits and a base pay range in California's market.