Senior FPGA Engineer

Compensation:

Competitive salary and benefits package

$175,000 - $225,000 per year – Salary plus Stock Options

We are seeking an FPGA Engineer to design and implement complex FPGA designs for advanced and highly embedded multidomain robotics platforms. The ideal candidate must be motivated and a self-starter willing to expand their knowledge base and expertise.

The candidate will:

• Design, implement, and test FPGA-based systems to enhance product capabilities
• Build hardware/firmware specifically for avionics, robotics & flight‑critical systems
• Develop and maintain RTL/firmware for peripherals, converters (ADC/DAC), and communication interfaces including 1 Gb+ Ethernet, PCIe, Serial (SPI, UART)
• Conduct simulation, hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HITL) testing and validation

• Must be a U.S Citizen
• Prior
  
  Experience:
  
  3+ years
• Work on location in Torrance, CA
• Minimum a BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
• Need strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to work in a small team environment
• Experience in VHDL/Verilog, SoC (System on Chip) design, and FPGA platforms. Strong preference for VHDL
• Worked with AMD/Xilinx FPGAs and/or SoC FPGAs
• Experience with Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Tools:
• GHDL, GTKWave, OpenOCD

• Architect FPGA subsystems including data paths, memory hierarchies, and interface logic
• Integrate FPGA designs with embedded processors (ARM/RISC‑V soft or hard cores)
• Define register maps and hardware/software interfaces for FPGA peripherals
• Collaborate with PCB designers to ensure signal integrity, pin planning, and power requirements

• Develop simulation test benches and verification environments
• Perform functional simulation and waveform analysis to validate RTL
• Perform timing analysis and timing closure across multiple clock domains
• Support system bring‑up and debug using on‑chip analyzers (e.g., ILA/Signal Tap equivalents)

• Debug FPGA designs using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and JTAG tools
• Support hardware bring‑up of new boards and prototypes
• Work closely with software and controls engineers to integrate FPGA functionality into the robotics platform

• Linux / Mac knowledge
• Command line tools and strong Unix tools and tool chains know‑how

• Familiarity with Lattice / Microchip (Microsemi / Actel) and other cost‑effective FPGA platforms / tool chains
• Experience with AXI bus (AXI Stream, AXI‑4, etc.)
• Proficient with DSP on FPGA data flows and implementations highly desired
• Experience with processing, data routing and/or compute pipeline design methodologies
• Experience with timing closure techniques
• Prefer real world validation over simulated validation

CHIRP Robotics is a well‑funded seed‑stage startup operating in stealth mode and based in Torrance, California. The company aims to become a leading U.S. provider of modular intelligence and autonomous systems for a wide range of vehicles and applications. It has an impressive portfolio of patents on the hardware side and IP in software / algorithms. CHIRP’s CEO, a founding member of SpaceX, brings extensive technical expertise, a strong professional network, and significant business leadership experience.

Opportunity to work on innovative and complex systems.

Hands‑on experience with a broad range of engineering challenges.

Collaborative and growth‑oriented work environment.

Competitive salary and benefits package.

If you are a driven and passionate engineer looking to work and grow in a challenging and rewarding role, we would love to hear from you! Apply today by sending your resume to