Space Systems FPGA Firmware Engineer II

Rocket Lab Corp.; Long Beach, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 102,000 - 141,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Company stock / stock options

401(k) with company match

Medical plans (HMO/PPO)

Job summary

Rocket Lab is seeking an FPGA Engineer II to join our Space Systems team in Long Beach, CA. You’ll develop and verify FPGA firmware for spacecraft avionics, collaborating with multiple engineering disciplines and participating in on-orbit testing where feasible.

The role emphasizes firmware design, verification, and documentation, with opportunities to work across civil, commercial, and defense programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, computer, or software engineering; or other engineering degree.
• 2+ years of FPGA firmware development.
• Proficiency in VHDL.
• U.S. citizenship due to program requirements.
• Nice-to-have: Master’s or PhD in related field.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with other disciplines to develop firmware architecture and requirements.
• Design and verify FPGA firmware for Xilinx and Microchip devices.
• Develop docs for FPGA operation and interfacing with SW/FPGA systems.
• Participate in test campaigns from module to unit/system level.

Skills

FPGA firmware dev

VHDL

FPGA design fundamentals

US citizenship

Education

Bachelors in electrical/computer/software engineering

Tools

Xilinx

Microchip

Job description

Rocket Lab is seeking an FPGA Engineer II to join our Space Systems team in Long Beach, CA. You’ll develop and verify FPGA firmware for spacecraft avionics, collaborating with multiple engineering disciplines and participating in on-orbit testing where feasible.

The role emphasizes firmware design, verification, and documentation, with opportunities to work across civil, commercial, and defense programs.