Senior FPGA Firmware Engineer – Space Payloads

Rocket Lab Corporation; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 143,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation

Parental leave

Employee stock purchase program

Job summary

Rocket Lab Optical Systems is seeking a Senior Firmware Engineer II in Chantilly, VA, to design FPGA firmware for advanced electro-optical space payloads. You will work with hardware teams on requirements, perform S/W and H/W bring-up, and ensure robust timing and validation of designs. The ideal candidate holds a B.S.

in EE/CE and has 8+ years in FPGA/VHDL, with ability to obtain U.S. government clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or equivalent
• 8+ years of experience in writing FPGA firmware from scratch in VHDL
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with hardware design on requirements and interfaces
• Design, code, simulate, and test FPGA logic
• Support bring-up and testing with hardware/software teams
• Provide SME guidance on design and automated test procedures
• Analyze datasheets and specifications to decide design approaches
• Debug designs in lab environments and iterate improvements
• Perform synthesis, implementation, and timing analysis

Skills

FPGA firmware

VHDL

Embedded systems

Radiation-tolerant design

IP core development

C / Python

Debug / test automation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical or computer engineering

Tools

Xilinx Versal

Altium Designer

Job description

Rocket Lab Optical Systems is seeking a Senior Firmware Engineer II in Chantilly, VA, to design FPGA firmware for advanced electro-optical space payloads. You will work with hardware teams on requirements, perform S/W and H/W bring-up, and ensure robust timing and validation of designs. The ideal candidate holds a B.S.

in EE/CE and has 8+ years in FPGA/VHDL, with ability to obtain U.S. government clearance.