Full-Time

Principal FPGA Engineer II

Posted on 4/23/2024

CesiumAstro

51-200 employees

Develops communication payloads for air and space

Hardware

Aerospace

Senior, Expert

Milton Keynes, UK

Required Skills

Verilog

Communications

VHDL

FPGA

Requirements

Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS) degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering
11 years of industry or university research experience in the design, analysis, and implementation of FPGA systems at the HDL level
Proficiency in VHDL and/or Verilog design capture
Familiarity with radiation-tolerant FPGA devices (Xilinx Versal, Xilinx UltraScale+, Xilinx RFSoC, Micorsemi PolarFire, RTG-4)
Expertise in FPGA implementation (synthesis, place and route and timing closure) and verification
Proficient in HDL coder, Modelsim RTL simulation tools, Xilinx and Microsemi tool flows
Strong understanding of space environment considerations and radiation effects on FPGA parts to develop mitigation techniques
Hands-on experience with lab instruments such as digital oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, RF signal generators, and vector signal analyzers
Experience with high-speed interfaces and power optimization techniques for space applications
Proven track record of successful FPGA designs deployed in space programs
Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Responsibilities

Lead FPGA design and verification efforts for space-based programs ensuring compliance with industry standards and program requirements
Work with cross-functional teams (system engineering, hardware designers, and software engineers) to define FPGA architecture, partitioning, interface definitions, and specifications
Develop FPGA architecture based on high level system requirements to formulate part selections and SWAP-C estimates with an emphasis on FPGA utilizations and power consumption
Act as the subject matter expert when participating in design reviews and bringing technical expertise and insight to the team
Mentor and guide junior FPGA designers to drive for efficiency, quality, and consistency
Maintain pulse on emerging technologies to drive future product development for space applications

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a Principal FPGA Engineer II to our team. If you enjoy working in a startup environment, and are passionate about developing leading-edge hardware for satellites, spacecraft, and aerospace systems, we would like to hear from you.

In this position, you will be responsible for FPGA circuits and systems through all phases of the development process. The ideal candidate will have experience in FPGA design, verification, test, and deployment at the HDL level. FPGA HDL designs will include high-speed serial interfaces and data streams, digital processing cores, multiple clocks and clock domains, and management interfaces. Testing, validation, and verification will also be central tasks for any FPGA design. Experience in digital signal processing or board-level hardware design is also helpful in the role.

As a principal level employee, you will present engineering design review materials to our customers and executive team, as well as participate in proposal-writing efforts. As such, excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead FPGA design and verification efforts for space-based programs ensuring compliance with industry standards and program requirements.
Work with cross-functional teams (system engineering, hardware designers, and software engineers) to define FPGA architecture, partitioning, interface definitions, and specifications.
Develop FPGA architecture based on high level system requirements to formulate part selections and SWAP-C estimates with an emphasis on FPGA utilizations and power consumption.
Act as the subject matter expert when participating in design reviews and bringing technical expertise and insight to the team.
Mentor and guide junior FPGA designers to drive for efficiency, quality, and consistency.
Maintain pulse on emerging technologies to drive future product development for space applications.

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

A Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS) degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering from an accredited university or institution.
11 years of industry or university research experience in the design, analysis, and implementation of FPGA systems at the HDL level.
Proficiency in VHDL and/or Verilog design capture.
Familiarity with radiation-tolerant FPGA devices (Xilinx Versal, Xilinx UltraScale+, Xilinx RFSoC, Micorsemi PolarFire, RTG-4).
Expertise in FPGA implementation (synthesis, place and route and timing closure) and verification.
Proficient in HDL coder, Modelsim RTL simulation tools, Xilinx and Microsemi tool flows.
Strong understanding of space environment considerations and radiation effects on FPGA parts to develop mitigation techniques.
Hands-on experience with lab instruments such as digital oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, RF signal generators, and vector signal analyzers.
Experience with high-speed interfaces and power optimization techniques for space applications.
Proven track record of successful FPGA designs deployed in space programs.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

Experience with worst-case analysis, failure method and criticality analyses, and reliability analysis.
Familiarity with digital communications and digital signal processing.
Experience with board-level hardware design.
Demonstrated ability to work efficiently with a distributed team.
Proficiency with git source code control.
Experience developing firmware using agile flows.

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.

CesiumAstro

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Website

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CesiumAstro specializes in developing software-defined phased array communication payloads for both airborne and in-orbit platforms, offering full-stack mission-ready communications for the Autonomous Era™. Their products include the VIREO multi-beam APA system, NIGHTINGALE I Ka-Band high-speed downlink payload, and the COMMPACK cross-link communications payload, all featuring modular hardware and software building blocks seamlessly integrated to provide complete mission-specific payload configurations. These products utilize active phased array systems and digital backend modules to support high-throughput communication needs.

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

$120.2M

Headquarters

Austin, Texas

Founded

2017

Growth & Insights

Headcount

6 month growth

↑ 18%

1 year growth

↑ 44%

2 year growth

↑ 95%