FPGA Electrical Engineer III

As a member of the Blue Origin family of companies, Honeybee Robotics has been at the forefront of robotics for over 40 years, developing novel exploration systems for extreme planetary environments. At our Southern California location, we support planetary science, including every NASA Mars rover since Spirit and Opportunity, and develop practical In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) solutions. We seek technically brilliant individuals in engineering, software, and support fields who take ownership of their work and collaborate in teams.

This is an onsite role at our Altadena, CA office. Relocation assistance is provided.

About the role

Honeybee Robotics' Exploration Systems division is seeking an Electrical Engineer specializing in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). In this role, you will interface with interdisciplinary project teams to develop custom avionics systems and motor controllers for robotic missions to the Moon, Mars, Titan, and other solar system destinations. You will be responsible for flight avionics development, rovers, deployable structures, and geotechnical science instruments used in planetary exploration and space applications. You will collaborate with electrical design, mechanical, test, systems, integration, software, and control engineering disciplines throughout the entire product lifecycle—from conception to flight-ready hardware.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a flight FPGA design owner within small teams of electrical engineers throughout a project life cycle (design, build, test, deliver), including close collaboration, independent work, and mentoring of junior engineers.
• FPGA hardware design and bare metal programming, optimization, bring-up, and verification & validation (V&V).
• Design and develop digital hardware architectures for embedded robotic systems in extreme environments.
• Create and implement RTL code for critical SoC blocks and interfaces.
• Contribute to architecture optimization for performance, power, and cost trade-offs.
• Collaborate on design verification to ensure robust and reliable designs.
• Support prototype development for early validation.
• Document design specifications, architecture decisions, and implementation details.
• Participate in design reviews and technical discussions with cross-functional teams.
• Troubleshoot and debug digital design issues.
• Implement interfaces between digital hardware and firmware/software components.
• Checkout of custom high-reliability PCBs for various avionics applications.
• Define and execute tests at the integrated assembly level in avionics development labs, environmental test labs, radiation test labs, and vendor test labs.
• Apply technical expertise to problem-solving throughout the product lifecycle, including design review support, verification planning and execution, and scheduling.

Requirements

• Minimum of a B.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of developing and testing complex hardware equipment over the entire product lifecycle.
• Proficiency in SystemVerilog or Verilog for RTL implementation.
• Experience with SoC integration and interface design.
• Understanding of digital timing and synchronization concepts.
• Knowledge of industry-standard bus protocols (AXI, AHB, etc.).
• Familiarity with synthesis tools and RTL-to-gates methodology.
• Experience with simulation and debugging of complex digital systems.
• Strong background in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) and FPGA tool flow.
• Passion for hands-on problem-solving and avionics integration and test.
• Ability to work independently on avionics programs with aggressive schedules.
• Highly organized, safety and quality conscious, with excellent technical written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduate degree in related engineering or technical field.
• 8+ years of experience in developing hardware across the entire product lifecycle.
• Experience using Microchip Libero design tools.
• Experience implementing custom FPGA-based motor controllers.
• Experience developing and testing complex electronic systems combining hardware, firmware, and software.
• Experience leading the development and testing of embedded/motorized/power systems.
• Proficiency with scripting, programming, and analysis/modeling tools: Python, Linux/Windows shell scripting, assembly language, C, C++, MATLAB/Simulink/SPICE (or similar).
• Experience using Altium to design complex printed circuit boards.

Pay

Base pay range for CA applicants is $130,706.00 - $182,987.70. Other site ranges may differ.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Basic and supplemental life insurance.
• Paid parental leave.
• Short and long-term disability.
• 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%.
• 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.
• Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for additional benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions and company results.