Firmware Engineer
$145k - $175k
Senior
Bachelor's, Master's
Irvine, CA, USA
In Person
Hardware EngineeringSilicon & ASIC Design
About the job
Requirements
- A Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field is required; a Master's degree is preferred.
- At least 5 years of professional experience designing FPGA firmware in VHDL and/or Verilog.
- At least 3 years of experience with Xilinx (AMD) development tools, including Vivado, Vitis, and Vivado HLS.
- At least 3 years of demonstrated experience implementing digital signal processing in FPGA fabric, including filtering, FFTs, digital down-conversion, and waveform generation.
- At least 3 years of hands-on experience developing firmware for System-on-Chip (SoC) architectures, including PS–PL integration on Zynq or Zynq UltraScale+ platforms.
- Working knowledge of high-speed serial interfaces and standard bus protocols.
- Ability to meet the stated physical requirements, including sitting or standing for extended periods, frequent walking, using computing and digital devices, and lifting up to 50 pounds.
- Ability to travel as needed and maintain a valid driver's license and/or effectively navigate public transportation.
Responsibilities
- Design, implement, and verify FPGA firmware for radar signal generation, digital beamforming, and SAR data processing pipelines.
- Develop and maintain RTL (VHDL/Verilog) targeting Xilinx RFSoC and UltraScale+ platforms.
- Architect a modular, reusable FPGA framework that supports multiple product configurations and minimizes non-recurring engineering for future payload variants.
- Integrate FPGA firmware with embedded software (Linux/bare-metal) running on SoC processing systems (ARM cores).
- Define and implement high-speed digital interfaces between FPGA fabric and RF/analog front-end hardware.
- Perform timing closure, resource optimization, and power analysis for flight-grade FPGA builds.
- Develop and execute FPGA verification strategies, including simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and integration with flat-sat and EGSE test environments.
- Collaborate with RF and systems engineers to translate radar waveform and signal processing requirements into FPGA design specifications.
- Support AIT activities by providing firmware builds, diagnostic modes, and debug support during payload integration and test campaigns.
- Create and maintain configuration-managed firmware baselines, release documentation, and design descriptions aligned with gated review processes (PDR/CDR/TRR).
- Participate in design reviews, trade studies, and technical risk assessments related to FPGA and digital subsystem architecture.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with Xilinx RFSoC devices (ZU27DR, ZU47DR, or similar), including direct RF sampling ADC/DAC integration.
- Background in radar or SAR signal processing, including pulse compression, range/Doppler processing, and beamforming algorithms.
- Familiarity with radar waveform design and RF system-level concepts, including noise figure, dynamic range, and spurious analysis.
- Experience in aerospace, defense, or space-qualified hardware development environments.
- Exposure to formal verification methodologies, including UVM, constrained-random testbenches, and code coverage analysis.
- Experience with embedded Linux and bare-metal firmware development on ARM Cortex-A/R processors within SoC platforms.
- Familiarity with configuration management practices and version-controlled FPGA release workflows, including Git and CI/CD for HDL.
- Knowledge of environmental qualification and reliability considerations for FPGA designs, including radiation effects, thermal derating, and FMEA contributions.
- Experience supporting hardware integration and test campaigns, including bench-level debugging with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and spectrum analyzers.
About the company
ICEYE US provides persistent Earth observation using a large constellation of small SAR satellites, designed, built, and operated on US soil for government and commercial clients. It uses radar to capture all-weather, day-night imagery and change information, offering Data-as-a-Service, subscription analytics (like flood and wildfire assessments), and turnkey satellite missions. Its differentiators are owning the full satellite lifecycle, a dense SAR constellation for rapid revisits, and a US-based, FOCI-mitigated presence. The goal is to deliver continuous GEOINT for national security, disaster response, and environmental monitoring while expanding US access to radar-based imagery and creating recurring government and commercial analytics revenue.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Irvine, California
Founded
N/A
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- NRO awarded RCA and SCE work in August and May 2026.
- NOAA selected ICEYE US on September 15, 2026, expanding civilian demand.
- Irvine expansion and sixty employees signal growing U.S. production capacity and hiring.
What critics are saying
- ICEYE US depends heavily on NRO, NOAA, and NASA contracts signed in 2026.
- Capella Space and Umbra intensify U.S. SAR competition for budget and tasking.
- Any FOCI compliance failure or security incident can freeze U.S. government access entirely.
What makes ICEYE US unique
- ICEYE US controls the world’s largest SAR constellation, with cloud-penetrating night coverage.
- Its FOCI-mitigated U.S. structure unlocks NRO, NOAA, and NASA procurement pathways.
- Rapid tasking-to-imagery delivery and 25-centimeter resolution differentiate it from slower incumbents.
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Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Unlimited Paid Time Off