FPGA Engineer

Location: Sassenheim

As the FPGA Engineer at cosine, you design and implement high‑performance FPGA image processing solutions that enable next‑generation Earth observation missions. You work at the intersection of electronics and software, turning raw sensor data into usable insights directly on hardware. Your work reduces data bandwidth, increases processing speed, and enables smart instruments that operate autonomously in space. Within cosine Remote Sensing you contribute to compact, high‑precision optical payloads used in real missions, from concept to deployment.

Tasks & Responsibilities

Design, implement, and optimise FPGA architectures for real-time image processing pipelines

Translate image processing algorithms into efficient hardware implementations, including filtering, compression, and feature extraction

Perform general FPGA design tasks such as pipeline and architecture definition, building test benches, design verification and validation, and device configuration

Create and maintain board definition files, define I/O architecture, and manage boot configuration, in-flight reprogramming, memory management, and sensor readout

Collaborate with optical, electronics, and software engineers to integrate FPGA solutions into space‑borne instruments

Verify and validate FPGA designs through simulation, hardware testing, and system‑level integration

Contribute to continuous improvement of processing performance, power efficiency, and reliability for space applications

Expand existing designs to interface and read out to new devices such as imaging detectors and ADCs

Optimise data handling pipelines at challenging data rates, including offloading of CPU workloads into an FPGA

Your profile

BSc or equivalent in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Embedded Systems, or a related field

Proven experience with FPGA development and validation using VHDL, Verilog, and high‑level synthesis.

Experience with tools such as Vivado, Vitus, Quartus or similar FPGA design environments

Strong understanding of digital signal processing and image processing concepts

Affinity with embedded systems and hardware‑software co‑design

Interest in space technology, Earth observation, or high‑performance instrumentation

Proactive, self‑directed, asking the right questions to keep work aligned with the larger goal

What We Offer

A unique, international working environment at the intersection of physics and engineering

The opportunity to deliver end‑to‑end solutions in autonomous project teams, in close collaboration with customers

27 days of annual leave (based on full‑time employment)

Annual bonus based on personal and company performance

Hybrid working options, including the possibility to work partially from home

Company bicycle‑ and fitness plan

A personal development budget

Initial one‑year contract, with the aim of long‑term collaboration

About Cosine
Founded in 1998, cosine is a world‑leading developer of space instrumentation and measurement systems, making the invisible measurable and the complex actionable. Its expertise spans High‑Energy Optics, including optics developed for ESA's future New Athena X‑ray observatory, as well as remote sensing solutions for Earth Observation and planetary science.

With over 25 years of experience and advanced cleanroom and assembly facilities across the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, cosine brings deep scientific and engineering expertise to some of the most demanding missions in space and on Earth.

What makes cosine a unique place to work is that your work goes end‑to‑end: from concept and design to building, testing, and delivering hardware that actually flies in space. You work in small, highly skilled teams where you have real ownership and impact, alongside experts in optics, physics, nanofabrication, and systems engineering.

Cosine is committed to providing an inclusive and equal opportunities work environment where everyone can thrive. As a proud member of the Women in Aerospace community, we recognise the importance of diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity in the workplace.

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