Senior Firmware Engineer ; FPGA

Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company delivering responsive launch services, complete spacecraft design and manufacturing, payloads, satellite components, and more – all with the goal of opening access to space. The rockets and satellites we build, and launch enable some of the most ambitious and vital space missions globally, supporting scientific exploration, Earth observation and missions to combat climate change, national security, and exciting new technology demonstrations.

Our Electron rocket has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered more than 230 satellites to orbit, all while we work to develop Neutron, our upcoming medium-lift, reusable launch vehicle for larger constellation deployment. Our Space Systems business designs and builds our extensive line of satellites, payloads, and their components, including spacecraft that have been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars and components used on the James Webb Space Telescope.

Rocket Lab’s Optical Systems division solves mission-critical space domain and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) challenges for Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) customers. Our vision is to revolutionize the space-based payload market with innovative and novel designs for space, terrestrial, and airborne environments. Building on more than 20 years of electro-optical and infrared systems innovation from Geost, Optical Systems delivers solutions to the warfighter for responsive, scalable sensing solutions across all orbital domains.

As a Senior Firmware Engineer I based at our Optical Systems sites in Chantilly, VA, you will have the opportunity to support Tranche 3 of the U.S. Space Development Agency's (SDA) Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) using the latest FPGA technologies including Xilinx to support advanced Electro-Optical (EO/IR) technology.

• Work with the hardware design team on requirements.
• Complete FPGA logic design, coding, simulation, and testing.
• Support hardware and software development teams in bring-up and test of products.
• Provide subject-matter expertise regarding design and automated test development procedures to customers and production support team.
• Perform research and analysis of data, such as customer proposed specifications, datasheets, or manuals to determine design approach and/or feasibility.
• Execute debugging of the design in the lab.
• Perform synthesis, implementation, and timing analysis.

• Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering or electrical engineering or equivalent discipline with 5-8 years of experience.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance.

• Ability to obtain and maintain the necessary level of U.S. Government security clearance per customer requirements.
• Experience with FPGAs and embedded systems in a radiation environment, including SEU/SEL impact and mitigation.
• Experience in both creating IP from scratch in RTL, and integrating existing IP into RTL and block designs.
• Familiarity with C, Python or MATLAB and/or experience translating algorithms from a scripted language to HDL.
• Experience with software interfaces including interrupts and DMA.
• Experience in project management, team leadership, and/or mentoring.
• Experience with systems engineering methods including systems trades, requirements management, performance characterization, and interface management.
• Experience with DDR4, Aurora, and high-speed transceiver design and verification.
• Familiarity with AXI Stream and AXI Memory Mapped interfaces.
• Embedded C/C++ software development for ARM processors and MCUs over the full stack including Linux.
• Experience in FPGA- or ASIC-based image processing algorithms.
• Ability to work under pressure and adhere to tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to build strong working relationships.
• PCB design and schematic capture and layout with tools such as Altium Designer.
• An ownership outlook with the desire to build lasting systems…