Sr. FPGA Engineer II

About Rocket Lab

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.

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. As a Sr. FPGA Engineer II based at our Optical Systems sites in Chantilly, VA, you will 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, electrical engineering, or equivalent discipline with 8+ years of experience.
• Experience in FPGA firmware design with VHDL.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance.

• Experience with Xilinx/AMD Versal architecture.
• Experience with FPGAs and embedded systems in a radiation environment, including SEU/SEL impact and mitigation.
• Experience in FPGA‑ or ASIC‑based image processing algorithms.
• 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 with DDR4, Aurora, and high‑speed transceiver design and verification.
• Familiarity with AXI Stream and AXI Memory Mapped interfaces.
• PCB design and schematic capture and layout with tools such as Altium Designer.
• Active TS/SCI security clearance.

This position may require prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, computer work, and occasional exposure to moderate levels of noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.

The expected salary range for the position is $143,300 USD – $238,700 USD (VA only). Base salary is one part of Rocket Lab’s compensation package, which may include company stock, cash incentives, and a discounted employee stock purchase program. Employee benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) retirement plan; paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave; paid parental leave; and other discounts and perks.

Applicants in U.S. offices must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or otherwise eligible to obtain necessary U.S. government authorizations. Applicants in New Zealand offices must be citizens of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union, or a NATO country, and must be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the United States’ International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Rocket Lab provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment at Rocket Lab, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for the application/interview process in the United States should contact Giulia Johnson at  Only messages left for this purpose will be considered.