Senior FPGA Design Engineer (Space Systems)

Umbra builds next-generation space systems that observe the Earth in unprecedented fidelity. 

Our mission: Deliver global omniscience.

To stay ahead of climate change, geopolitical risk, and other major crises and issues, we need a global understanding of what is changing, where, and how fast. Umbra provides easy access to the highest quality commercial satellite data available, which is an indispensable tool for the growing number of organizations monitoring the Earth. We empower our customers to create the solutions that inform, inspire, and address our planet’s most pressing needs. We’re helping to create a brand new industry that has never meaningfully existed before. 

We are seeking a Senior FPGA Design Engineer (Space Systems), developing HDL based digital designs supporting next-generation space radar systems. This position will collaborate with the software and electrical engineering teams to develop, analyze, manufacture, and test microwave subsystems.

This position is located onsite in our Santa Barbara, CA office.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop FPGA-based digital designs for radar, electronic warfare, and communications.
• Work with electrical and systems engineers to integrate Xilinx SoC based hardware with high-speed data converters and associated microwave transmitter and receiver chains.
• Continuously collaborate with the payload engineering team to address mechanical, thermal and power subsystems and interfaces.
• Rapidly develop prototypes and iteratively improve hardware and firmware.
• Prepare engineering documentation, reports, and test plans.
• Perform other professional duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s of Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering or equivalent.
• Knowledge of foundational electrical engineering, computer architecture and digital design concepts.
• 7 years of proven, relevant experience in digital design with FPGA and SoC devices.
• Development experience with Xilinx devices and design suite, such as Vivado, SDK and Vitis.
• Expertise in VHDL and/or Verilog.
• Experience developing MCU and SoC software in Rust or C/C .
• Working knowledge of modern FPGA architectures and external interfaces, including high speed converters, DDR RAM, and Solid-State NAND and NOR based storage.
• Familiarity with standard physical layers for digital communication (UART, SPI, LVDS).
• Comfortable working in a dynamic and fast-paced development environment.

Desired Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering or equivalent.
• 10 years of proven, relevant experience in digital design with FPGA and SoC devices.
• Experience with high-speed data transfer and bandwidth management.
• Knowledge of digital communication systems and modulations (QPSK, 8-PSK).
• Experience developing FPGA based hardware for spacecraft systems.
• Experience with parallelizing DSP algorithms.
• Knowledge of Python and SystemVerilog.
• Experience with interfacing with vendors and customers as the technical representative.
• TS/SCI security clearance, read-in within the past two years, or willingness to acquire one.

• Flexible Time Off, Sick, Family & Medical Leave
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, LTD, STD (employer funded)
• Vol Life, Critical Illness, Accidental, Hospital Indemnity, Pet Insurance (employee funded)
• 401k with 3% non-elective company contribution
• Stock Options
• Free Parking
• Free lunch daily in office

Umbra is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

Employment Eligibility Verification

In compliance with federal laws, all hired persons will be required to verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States by completing the required Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9 Form) upon hire.

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position may include access to technology and/or data that is subject to U.S. export controls pursuant to ITAR and EAR. To comply with federal export controls, all persons hired must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, refugee or asylee as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), or must otherwise be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or U.S. Department of Commerce as applicable. 

Pay Transparency
This job posting may cover multiple career levels. To ensure greater transparency, we provide base salary ranges for all roles, regardless of location. Our standard pay ranges are based on the role’s function and level, benchmarked against similar growth-stage companies. Compensation may vary based on geographical location, as certain regions may have different cost-of-living factors. The final offer will also be influenced by the candidate's skills, responsibilities, and relevant experience.

Compensation Range

The Compensation Range for this role is $150,000 - $200,000.

Salary : $150,000 - $200,000