Senior FPGA Engineer

Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.

Planet designs builds and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to authoritative figures in commercial environmental and humanitarian sectors. We are both a space company and data company all rolled into one.

Customers and users across the globe use Planets data to develop new technologies drive revenue power research and solve our worlds toughest obstacles.

As we control every component of hardware design manufacturing data processing and software engineering our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains.

We have a people-centric approach toward culture and community and we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first and prepares our company for growth. Join Planet and be a part of our mission to change the way people see the world.

Planet is a global company with employees working remotely world wide and joining us from offices in San Francisco Washington DC Germany Austria Slovenia and The Netherlands.

About the Role:

Join a dynamic and innovative team at Planet where youll play a pivotal role in the design of our FPGA-based systems which are fundamental to imaging operations of our cutting-edge satellites. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to our next generation platform by defining new modules developing specifications and implementing your designs. You will collaborate with electrical engineers RF engineers camera engineers and firmware engineers to deliver fully validated designs before they get launched into orbit.

The ideal candidate is passionate about Planets mission and thrives in a collaborative fast-paced environment. This role will appeal to candidates who are looking for opportunities to have a large impact on new and highly visible products.

This is a full-time hybrid role which will require you to work from our San Francisco office 3 days per week.

Impact Youll Own:

• Design custom FPGA-based data pipelines DSP and digital comms; integrate 3rd party IP; perform timing analysis and closure.
• Verify your design in simulation and in the lab and support automated validation.
• Collaborate with EEs and firmware engineers to develop custom hardware and software around your designs.
• Contribute to defining FPGA architectures selecting components analyzing performance.

What You Bring:

• 6 years of experience designing verifying and validating FPGA-based digital designs.
• Expertise in writing SystemVerilog RTL.
• Expertise in scripting and programming (Python C shell).
• Hands-on test and debugging experience with oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.
• Advanced knowledge of version control systems (eg. git) and managing releases to production.
• Ability to read and provide input into electrical schematics.

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Experience in hardware / software co-design.
• Experience with HLS and Xilinx Versal devices.
• Experience with imaging sensor interfaces and image processing pipelines.
• Experience with designing pipelines for AI/ML DSP or comms systems.
• Experience integrating high speed serial protocols including PCIe/NVMe MIPI CameraLink JESD204B etc.

Application Deadline:February 18th 2026. 11:59pm PST

EAR/ITAR Requirements:

This position requires access to export-controlled information and as such employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidates ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

Benefits While Working at Planet:

These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location based upon applicable law or company policy.

• Comprehensive Medical Dental and Vision plans
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution
• Generous Paid Time Off in addition to holidays and company-wide days off
• 16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Home Office Reimbursement
• Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
• Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning
• Equity
• Commuter Benefits (if local to an office)
• Volunteering Paid Time Off

Compensation:

The US base salary range for this full-time position at the commencement of employment is listed below. Additionally this role might be eligible for discretionary short-term and long-term incentives (bonus and equity). The final salary range is determined by job related experience skills and location. The range displays our typical hiring range for new hire salaries in US locations only. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Why we care so much about Belonging.
Were dedicated to helping the whole Planet and to do that we must strive to represent all of it within each of our offices and on all of our teams. Thats why Planet is guided by an ultimate north star of Belongingdreaming big as we approach our ongoing work. If this job intrigues you but youre thinking you might not have all the qualifications please... do apply! At Planet we are looking for well-rounded people from around the world who can contribute to more ways than just what is listed in this job description. We dont just fill positions we aspire to fulfill peoples careers most excited about folks who are motivated by our underlying humanitarian efforts. We are a few orbits around the sun before we get to where we want to be so we hope youre excited to come along for the ride.

EEO statement:
Planet is committed to building a community where everyone belongs and we invite people from all backgrounds to apply. Planet is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race religious creed color national origin ancestry physical disability mental disability medical condition genetic information marital status sex gender gender identity gender expression pregnancy childbirth and breastfeeding age sexual orientation military or veteran status or any other protected classification in accordance with applicable federal state and local laws. Know Your Rights.

Accommodations:
Planet is an inclusive community and we know that everyone has their own needs. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation during the hiring process please reach out to or contact your recruiter with your request. Your message will be confidential and we will be happy to assist you.

Privacy Policy: By clicking Apply Now at the top of this job posting I acknowledge that I have read the Planet Data Privacy Notice for California Staff Members and Applicants and hereby consent to the collection processing use and storage of my personal information as described therein.

Privacy Policy (European Applicants): By clicking Apply Now at the top of this job posting I acknowledge that I have read the Candidate Privacy Notice GDPR Planet Labs Europe and hereby consent to the collection processing use and storage of my personal information as described therein.

AI in Our Interviewing Process: Planet is committed to providing an exceptional interview experience for all candidates. We are currently exploring AI interviewing technologies to better focus on candidates and less on trying to capture notes. As such with the candidates consent select interviews may be recorded and include a Planet AI Notetaker for transcription and summarization purposes. Should an interview involve use of AI interview technologies the candidate will receive notification and have the ability to opt out both in advance and/or real-time. Opting out will not affect ones candidacy.

Candidate AI Policy: Planet embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and we encourage its responsible use. We understand that candidates may use various resources including AI tools to prepare for interviews and assessments. However during any live interview stage or when actively completing assessments for this position the use of AI toolse.g. Large Language Models (LLMs) deep fake technology strictly prohibited unless explicitly prompted by an interviewer or assessment instructions. If you are unsure about acceptable use please contact your recruiter for clarification. If an AI tool or similar technology is desired as an accommodation please contact with your request for assistance. Your message will be confidential and we will be happy to assist you. Violation of this policy may result in disqualification of your application.