Staff FPGA Design Engineer

Ursa Major

$150K — $180K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Electrical Engineering with 10+ years of experience in electronics hardware and ASIC/FPGA development.
  • Experience with flight avionics for aircraft, launch vehicles, or space applications.
  • Strong understanding of analog/digital filtering and mixed-signal circuit design.
  • Knowledge of EMI/EMC practices and compliance standards including MIL-461 and DO-160.
  • Proficiency in a hardware description language (HDL) like VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog.

Responsibilities

  • Develop mixed-signal designs from concept to production, including requirements definition and design verification.
  • Support avionics architecture trade studies, analyses, and performance characterization.
  • Perform reliability analyses including de-rating and worst case circuit analysis.
  • Define and implement hardware-software interfaces for control law and automated testing.
  • Conduct risk analyses and root-cause investigations for discrepancies in testing.
  • Architect and code ASIC/FPGA RTL for system integration.
  • Prepare design review materials and support peer review processes.

Benefits

  • Unlimited PTO including vacation and sick leave.
  • Paid parental and adoptive leave.
  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Employer-paid short and long-term disability and basic life insurance.
  • 401k retirement plan with company matching.
  • Equity grants within the company.
Full Job Description
Our advanced aerospace and defense systems depend on reliable, high-performance avionics to ensure mission success. As a Staff Electrical Engineer, you will work with cross-functional design and development teams to architect, design, and verify embedded electronic hardware for a wide range of flight-critical systems, including batteries, power distribution units, guidance, navigation and control (GNC) components, flight termination systems, safe and arm devices, propulsion control, telemetry and other vehicle electronics. In this role, you will lead the development of circuit card assemblies (CCAs) and FPGA-based hardware that interface with sensors, actuators, power systems, and high-speed communication buses. You will be responsible for hardware design from concept through verification, ensuring designs meet demanding aerospace and defense performance, reliability, and environmental requirements. A strong background in mixed-signal electronics, FPGA design, and hardware development for harsh environments is essential. You will also help define and execute hardware verification and validation strategies using industry best practices and customer requirements.

Responsibilities:
  • Develop mixed-signal designs and shepherd them through the full product life-cycle, including requirements definition, design, development, qualification and release to production.
  • Support avionics architecture trade studies, analyses, performance characterization and specification, device selection, schematic generation, and hardware test.
  • Perform de-rating analysis, worst case circuit analysis, FMECA, and system reliability analysis.
  • Support definition and implementation of hardware to software interfaces to implement control law and automated test functions.
  • Support risk analyses, design for test/manufacture/cost, and root-cause analysis of test discrepancies.
  • Architect and generate ASIC/FPGA RTL code
  • Generate test cases and run simulations to verify functionality of ASIC/FPGA code
  • Complete FPGA synthesis and resolve all errors/warnings
  • Complete FPGA place and route and ensure sufficient timing margin through STA
  • Complete electrical checkout of circuit cards/FPGAs for requirement verification/design validation
  • Prepare materials for peer reviews and major design reviews
  • Support rocket engine testing and ground support as necessary

Requirements:
  • B.S. in Electrical Engineering with 10+ years of direct experience in electronics hardware and ASIC/FPGA development
  • Demonstrated experience in delivering flight avionics for aircraft, launch vehicles, or other space applications.
  • Understanding of analog/digital filtering, mixed-signal circuit design, analysis, and test.
  • Knowledge of signal integrity, power, grounding, and general board layout principles
  • Working knowledge of EMI/EMC practices and; MIL-461, DO-160, or FCC compliance
  • Experienced in a hardware description language such as VHDL, Verilog or SystemVerilog
  • Ability to use Python, TCL, or other high-level language for FPGA simulation and hardware test
  • Experience with ASIC/FPGA timing closure and place and route
  • Experience with Xilinx or Microsemi FPGAs
  • Experience with electronic hardware, reading schematics and using hardware test and debugging equipment


Desired Experience:
  • Direct experience in launch vehicle avionics systems integration
  • Graduate degree in related engineering or technical field with 15+ years of direct experience in electronics hardware development
  • Understanding of sensor and actuator technologies including: RTD's, Pressure Transducers, DC brushless motors, Solenoid valves, Thermocouples, Hydraulic servo valves, LVDT, RVDT, Rotary/Linear Encoders.
  • Demonstrated expertise designing Class 3 board assemblies
  • Utilizing IPC and NASA-STD-8739.n (or similar) standards.
  • Proficiency using Altium (or similar tools) to design complex boards; and experience working with external board manufacturing and assembly vendors.
  • A desire to design mission critical hardware for flight applications.
  • Working knowledge of high-reliability, radiation-tolerant, radiation-hardened flight hardware intended for high altitude and space environments.
  • Proficiency with scripting; programming and analysis/modeling tools: Python, Linux/Windows shell scripting; assembly language, C, C++; MATLAB / Simulink / SPICE (or similar)
  • Exposure to designing safety or mission critical aerospace flight hardware compliant with DO-254.
  • Experience with SystemVerilog UVM, Cocotb or other PLI/DPI based co-simulation environment

Colorado law requires us to tell you the base compensation range of this role, which is $150,000 - $180,000, determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. What we can't quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy.

Classification: Full-time Exempt

Benefits Include: (Please note, Interns are not eligible for benefits)
  • Unlimited PTO - Vacation, Sick, Personal, and Bereavement
  • Paid Parental and Adoptive Leave
  • Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
  • Tax Advantage Accounts (HSA/FSA)
  • Employer Paid Short and Long Term Disability, Basic Life, AD&D
  • Additional Benefit Options Including Voluntary Life and Emergency Medical Transport
  • EAP Program
  • Retirement Savings Plan - 401k with Company Match
  • Equity Grants in the Company


How To Apply:
Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by filling out the application below and clicking "Submit Application". This position will be posted for a minimum of 3 days and will remain open until filled or adjusted based on the volume of applicants.

NOTE: Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes they have the skills and the drive necessary to succeed here to apply for this role.

Must be a U.S. Person (this includes U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents).

Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance.

No outside recruiters, please.

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