Staff FPGA/Firmware Engineer

Turion Space is building spacecraft for national security and in-space operations. From debris removal to space domain awareness to building a more secure space economy, we are a team focused on getting real hardware to orbit fast and scaling capability.

We are looking for a Staff FPGA/Firmware Engineer to join our rapidly growing team in Irvine, CA. In this role, you will be accountable for the architecture, end-to-end design and verification of projects FPGA/SOC systems. This will require expertise and/or familiarity with: HDL, firmware, and low-level Linux.
This is a full-time, exempt position based on-site at our Irvine, California headquarters.

Responsibilities

• Own development of HDL and firmware on custom FPGA, FPGA SoC and low-level embedded systems

• Provide early guidance and input on architecture decision for subsystem and vehicle-level architectures

• Define requirements and processes to ensure traceability and progress tracking

• Develop custom HDL modules for FPGA systems (focus on high speed data movement and handling)

• Design firmware for soft cores (MicroBlaze, RISC-V, etc.) platforms to interface with FPGA fabric and peripherals

• Create custom HDL to interface with SoC hard cores, drivers and corresponding custom firmware.

• Work with electrical engineers and others to support the bring-up of custom hardware

• Lead verification of HDL and firmware to ensure flight-readiness

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience developing firmware, or, HDL for FPGAs in a professional environment

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, or related field

• Demonstrated work in RTL design using VHDL, Verilog, and/or SystemVerilog

• Proficiency with FPGA design tools (Xilinx Vivado, Microchip Libero, or similar)

• Experience developing firmware in bare-metal or RTOS environments

• Experience developing embedded systems using C/C++

• Strong understanding of digital design and embedded systems principles

• Ability to obtain a Secret and/or TS/SCI security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with high-level synthesis (HLS) tools (e.g. Xilinx Vitis HLS, MATLAB FPGA generator)

• Experience with FPGA verification techniques (formal verification, UVM, SystemVerilog assertions)

• Familiarity with Xilinx Ultrascale, Zynq MPSoC, Versal, and/or Microchip PolarFire platforms

• Proficiency working with firmware development tools such as JLink, Keil, IAR, or GCC

• Experience with FreeRTOS and embedded Linux.

• Strong understanding of FPGA timing, floor planning, and clock domain crossing best practices

• Experience with AMBA bus architectures (AXI, AHB, APB) and custom AXI IP design

• Experience with high-speed serial interfaces (GbE, PCIe, Aurora, LVDS) and low-speed interfaces (RS422, UART, I2C, SPI)

• Familiarity with RAM architectures, efficient buffering techniques, and FLASH interfaces (ONFi)

• Experience with image sensors and camera systems

Staff FPGA Engineer / Staff Firmware Engineer: $175,000 – $225,000 USD.

ITAR Requirements:

This position may include access to technology and/or software source code that is subject to U.S. export controls. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Benefits:
We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package designed to support the well-being and professional growth of our employees. In addition to a competitive base salary and company stock, determined by factors such as job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, and market demand, full-time employees are eligible for:

• Equity: Receive equity in Turion Space, letting you benefit from the company's success

• Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their dependents.

• Retirement Plans: Access to a 401(k) plan with a 3% Employer Direct Contribution to help you plan for your future.

• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation days, personal days, sick days, and holidays to ensure you have time to recharge.

• Parental Leave: Paid parental leave following the birth of a newborn or adoption.

• Emotional Wellbeing: A no-cost Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you and your household’s emotional health and wellbeing.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for ongoing internal training, workshops, and courses to advance your skills and career growth.

• Team Building Activities: Regular social events, team outings, and company-sponsored activities to foster a positive work environment.

We are dedicated to providing a supportive and enriching environment for our team members, recognizing that our collective success is built upon the well-being and satisfaction of each individual.

Turion Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Turion Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.