Sr. FPGA Engineer

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.

With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

We’re seeking a hands-on Sr. FPGA Engineer to join our team and help design the next generation of space-based navigation payloads. You'll work on cutting-edge signal processing systems, secure hardware modules, and high-reliability designs that fly in orbit. If you thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment and are excited by the challenge of developing space-qualified digital systems, we want to hear from you.

What you'll do:

• Architect and implement RTL for Xilinx RFSoC and other space-qualified FPGAs.

• Design high-performance DSP and signal generation modules for navigation waveforms (e.g., PRN code generation, mixers, modulators).

• Develop secure hardware blocks (e.g., SHA-256, HMAC) for authentication and anti-spoofing.

• Build robust data pipelines to move and process signal streams in real-time.

• Design with space in mind: mitigate single event upsets (SEUs), implement fault detection/correction, and optimize for radiation-prone environments.

• Work closely with cross functional teams to bring up payload functionality on actual satellite hardware.

• Simulate, verify, and test your designs rigorously - then see them fly.

• Experience designing for space: SEU mitigation, TMR, scrubbing, or rad-hard flows.

• GNSS or navigation signal processing expertise (GPS, Galileo, etc.).

• Crypto hardware design (e.g., SHA-2, HMAC, AES) and experience with secure communication protocols.

• Familiarity with JESD204B/C, high-speed serial I/O, or RF front-end interfacing.

• Embedded software experience on ARM (e.g., for control/config of FPGA fabric).

• Python or TCL scripting for test automation and build flows.

• Knowledge of space qualification processes, radiation testing, or flight hardware integration, with preference for strong hardware-in-the-loop devops practices.

• C/C++ programming experience.

• Experience with digital generation of high performance RF signals.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering (or similar).

• 3+ years of FPGA development experience using Verilog, VHDL, or SystemVerilog.

• Experience with HDL simulation and verification.

• Proven experience with AMD/Xilinx platforms-ideally RFSoC or Zynq Ultrascale+ - and their embedded PL+PS architectures.

• Solid background in DSP fundamentals and real-time signal processing in hardware.
  Strong grasp of on-chip dataflow, clock domain crossing, and AXI/AXI-Stream buses.

• Comfortable using Vivado, Riviera Pro, and Synplify.

• Proven track record of developing in a collaborative environment, including familiarity with git/gitlab and strong documentation discipline.

• Full-time, onsite in Burlingame, California (this role is not remote or hybrid)

For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.