FPGA Software

About this role

Cowboy Space Corp. is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our satellites operate in Low Earth Orbit to collect sunlight and enable a new class of capabilities—from powering on-orbit compute, to transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit compute to delivering secure, high-bandwidth optical data. By rethinking how energy and data are generated and distributed in space, we’re unlocking entirely new ways to operate both in orbit and on Earth.

Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), Cowboy Space Corp. is backed by leading investors and built by a team from top aerospace and defense organizations. We’re moving quickly to solve complex technical challenges and build a new category of space infrastructure.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We're looking for an experienced FPGA/RTL engineer to help build the digital backbone of our compute payload — the hard-real-time logic that connects high-speed image sensors to embedded compute. You'll design and own RTL for sensor interfacing, high-throughput pixel capture into DDR via DMA, and memory-mapped register interfaces to embedded Linux running on ARM-based SoCs. This is active development on a live flight program with near-term launch milestones: you'll join a small, senior team, take full ownership of workstreams from day one, and see your designs fly.

RESPONSIBILITIES

- Design, implement, and verify RTL in SystemVerilog/Verilog for the compute payload's FPGA subsystems, from architecture through on-orbit operation

- Develop high-speed camera sensor interfaces, including sensor clocking, configuration, register read/write control, and deterministic pixel capture pipelines

- Architect and implement high-throughput datapaths moving pixel data into DDR memory via DMA, with attention to bandwidth, latency, and determinism

- Build memory-mapped register interfaces (AXI) between FPGA logic and embedded Linux running on ARM cores, and define the hardware/software contract with flight software engineers

- Own timing closure, synthesis, and implementation across Zynq UltraScale+, Versal, and Cyclone 10 targets using Vivado and related toolchains

- Develop testbenches and simulation environments to verify designs before hardware, and validate on the bench with logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and protocol analyzers

- Support Petalinux platform bring-up, device tree configuration, and driver-level integration of FPGA peripherals with the embedded Linux stack

- Lead board bring-up and hardware integration for new payload avionics, working closely with electrical and embedded software engineers

- Investigate anomalies spanning the sensor-to-software chain, perform root cause analysis, and drive fixes across hardware/firmware/software boundaries

- Document designs and interfaces, and pair with teammates to spread ownership of the FPGA function across the team

- Contribute to build automation, regression testing, and CI for FPGA development workflows

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field

- 5+ years of experience in FPGA/RTL design, including architecture, RTL coding, verification, synthesis, and timing closure

- Proficiency in SystemVerilog or Verilog for production FPGA development

- Hands-on experience with FPGA + ARM SoC platforms (e.g., Xilinx/AMD Zynq or Zynq UltraScale+) and AMD/Xilinx toolchains (Vivado, Vitis, Petalinux)

- Experience designing high-speed digital interfaces and DDR/DMA-based datapaths

- Experience integrating FPGA logic with embedded software, including memory-mapped register interfaces and driver-level debugging

- Hands-on hardware bring-up and lab debugging experience with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and embedded debug tools

- Demonstrated ability to own open-ended design problems independently and carry them from hardware

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline

- Experience in aerospace, defense, semiconductor, or other high-reliability development e

- Experience with image sensor interfaces and camera pipelines (e.g., MIPI CSI-2, LVDS/SLVS, SubLVDS) or other high-bandwidth sensor front-ends

- Familiarity with Versal ACAP architecture and/or Intel/Altera devices (Cyclone 10) and Quartus toolflows

- Experience with simulation and verification tools such as Questa/ModelSim, Xcelium, or Verilator, and with UVM or other structured verification methodologies

- Working knowledge of embedded Linux internals — device trees, kernel drivers, userspace/hardware interaction — on ARM platforms

- Proficiency with C/C++, Python, and TCL for bring-up, test automation, and tooling

- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing and automated regression of FPGA designs

- Familiarity with fault-tolerant design and radiation effects mitigation (SEU scrubbing, TMR, configuration memory integrity) for space applications

- Experience thriving in fast-paced, high-ownership environments with rapid iteration cycles

THE ROLE

This role sits at the boundary between hardware and software. You will work across platform firmware, FPGA logic, board bring-up, system management, and autonomous recovery systems to ensure reliable operation from first power-on through orbital deployment.

Responsibilities

- Develop and maintain platform firmware and board management infrastructure for advanced compute systems.

- Own system bring-up and low-level boot sequencing for custom hardware platforms.

- Design and implement FPGA/CPLD logic for power sequencing, reset orchestration, watchdog functionality, and telemetry.

- Develop and customize BMC firmware and management stacks using OpenBMC and related technologies.

- Implement and maintain platform management interfaces including Redfish and/or IPMI.

- Debug complex hardware/firmware interactions across…