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CesiumAstro is seeking a Senior Staff FPGA Engineer to lead the design and verification of FPGA systems for space-based programs, satellites, spacecraft, and aerospace platforms. This is a principal-level role combining hands-on technical leadership with strategic influence across the organization.
You will own FPGA circuit and system development across all phases—from architecture and HDL design through verification, testing, and deployment. Your work will encompass high-speed serial interfaces, digital processing cores, multi-clock domain designs, and management interfaces. You'll be responsible for ensuring compliance with industry standards and program requirements while optimizing for power consumption and FPGA utilization.
Key responsibilities include:
- Leading FPGA design and verification efforts for space programs
- Collaborating with system engineering, hardware, and software teams to define architecture, partitioning, and specifications
- Developing FPGA architecture from high-level requirements, selecting parts, and estimating SWAP-C (Size, Weight, Power, Cost)
- Serving as subject matter expert in design reviews, presenting to customers and executives
- Mentoring junior FPGA designers to drive efficiency, quality, and consistency
- Staying current on emerging technologies for future space applications
The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in FPGA design with excellent communication skills and the ability to influence cross-functional teams. You'll work in a dynamic startup environment with hands-on, autonomous work and the opportunity to shape leading-edge hardware for space and aerospace.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor of Science or Master of Science in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering from an accredited institution
- 12+ years of industry or university research experience in FPGA design, analysis, and implementation at the HDL level
- Proficiency in VHDL and/or Verilog
- Familiarity with radiation-tolerant FPGA devices (Xilinx Versal, Xilinx UltraScale+, Xilinx RFSoC, Microsemi PolarFire, RTG-4)
- Expertise in FPGA implementation (synthesis, place and route, timing closure) and verification
- Proficiency with HDL coder, Modelsim RTL simulation, Xilinx and Microsemi tool flows
- Strong understanding of space environment considerations and radiation effects on FPGA parts, with ability to develop mitigation techniques
- Hands-on experience with lab instruments (digital oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, RF signal generators, vector signal analyzers)
- Experience with high-speed interfaces and power optimization for space applications
- Proven track record of successful FPGA designs deployed in space programs
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:
- Worst-case analysis, failure mode and criticality analysis, reliability analysis
- Digital communications and digital signal processing
- Board-level hardware design
- Ability to work efficiently with distributed teams
- Git source code control proficiency
- Firmware development using agile flows
Note: Applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee, or refugee, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State due to export regulations.
