Job brief: Senior FPGA Engineer II

What JoRoute checked · Checked by JoRoute

• Listed on Rocket Lab's own job board. JoRoute does not take listings from job ads or recruiters.
• First seen by JoRoute 2026-11-06 (2 days ago); last confirmed on the board 2026-11-08.
• The apply link opens job-boards.greenhouse.io, the address Rocket Lab's board gives for this job.
• The same title for the same place was listed 1 other time on this board in the last 90 days: several openings, or a re-posted job.
• No layoff notices (WARN) under this name in the state files JoRoute reads.

What the listing says · Employer's own words, not checked

• Pay: $143,300 to $214,850 a year
• Job type: Not stated
• Where: Long Beach, CA · RL Headquarters
• Posted: 2026-11-05

What the job asks · Employer's own words, not checked

Level: Senior. The title says "Senior".

Must have

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, computer, or software engineering; or other engineering degree
• 8+ years of experience with FPGA firmware development
• U.S. citizenship due to program requirements
• Master’s or PhD degree in electrical, computer, or software engineering; or other engineering degrees
• Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Rocket Lab Employees must be a U.S.
• as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S.

Main duties

• Collaborate with other engineering disciplines in developing firmware architecture and requirements
• Design and verify FPGA firmware for Xilinx and Microchip FPGA and SoC devices
• Develop documentation for FPGA operation and interfacing with other SW and FPGA systems
• Participate in test campaigns, ranging from module-level to automated testing at the unit and system level

Lines copied from the posting, not rewritten. "Preferred" or "nice to have" items are not listed as must-haves.

How it compares · Compared by JoRoute from listings

• Typical listed pay for engineer jobs in Long Beach, CA: $164k a year (145 listings, 3 employers). This listing is 9% higher.
• Across Rocket Lab's 451 open listings, 24% of those with a posting date were first posted more than 60 days ago. How Rocket Lab hires

What nobody outside the employer knows · Not known

• Whether the role is already filled or on hold: employers often leave listings up.
• How many people applied, and who reads the applications.
• Where in the published range an offer would land.

Ask before you apply

1. How many people are you hiring for this role, and is it a new opening or a re-posted one?
2. Which of the listed places is this role based in?
3. What are the interview steps, and when should I expect to hear back?

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