Manager, FPGA Development

BLUE ORIGIN • Seattle, WA

13d • $150,743 - $211,040 • Onsite

About The Position

The FPGA Manager will lead a team of engineers responsible for developing, implementing, and verifying complex digital designs on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) for avionics supporting Blue Origin’s lunar lander and transport vehicles. This role requires a strong technical background in FPGA design and verification, combined with proven leadership abilities to manage resources, schedules, and budgets for multiple projects.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5+ years of experience in FPGA design and verification.
• Minimum of 2+ years of experience in technical leadership or management.
• Proven experience delivering complex FPGA solutions for real-world products.
• Deep expertise in digital design, FPGA architecture, and design tradeoffs.
• Proficiency with Hardware Description Languages (HDLs) such as SystemVerilog/Verilog/VHDL.
• Expertise with FPGA vendor toolchains (e.g., AMD/Xilinx Vivado, Intel/Altera Quartus).
• Experience with high-speed digital interfaces (e.g., PCIe, DDR4/5, 10/40/100 GbE) and embedded processors on FPGAs (SoC).
• Knowledge of standard verification methodologies (e.g., UVM) and tools (e.g., QuestaSim/ModelSim or equivalent).
• Familiarity with lab bring-up, debugging tools (e.g., ILA), and high-speed test equipment.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and critical thinking abilities.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a cross-functional team environment.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of specific application areas, such as communications, radar, software-defined radios, or embedded systems.
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git) and project tracking software (e.g., Jira).
• Knowledge of digital signal processing (DSP) theory and implementation techniques.
• Experience with DO-254 (airborne electronic hardware) or equivalent safety-critical FPGA development processes.
• Aerospace, defense, spaceflight, or other high-reliability / safety-critical FPGA background.
• Experience managing a geographically distributed team.
• Familiarity with formal verification, CDC methodology, and IP reuse strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of FPGA engineers, including conducting performance reviews, setting career development plans, and facilitating ongoing training.
• Provide technical guidance and oversight throughout the entire FPGA development lifecycle, from architecture definition and requirements gathering to implementation, verification, and validation.
• Define and enforce standardized design methodologies, coding standards, and quality assurance processes across all FPGA projects.
• Drive continuous improvement within the team by assessing and evaluating new tools, design techniques, and emerging FPGA technologies.
• Manage project schedules, budgets, resource allocation, and technical risks to ensure timely and on-budget delivery of FPGA solutions.
• Present project status updates, design reviews, and technical findings to both internal stakeholders and external customers.
• Coordinate with other engineering teams—including hardware, software, and systems engineering—to define requirements and manage interfaces.
• Partner with the FPGA verification team to ensure designs are verifiable and coverage-closable; align design and DV schedules.
• Direct the architecture and design of FPGA-based solutions for high-performance, real-time applications.
• Oversee the implementation of complex digital logic and, where applicable, signal processing algorithms on FPGA platforms.
• Ensure designs meet stringent requirements for performance, area, power efficiency, reliability, and security.
• Drive the selection and evaluation of appropriate FPGA devices, IP cores, and associated toolchains.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%, and an Education Support Program.
• Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
• Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager