Sr. FPGA Engineer, Amazon Leo for Government

Amazon is hiring a Sr. FPGA Engineer, Amazon Leo for Government. It pays $185k-$250k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.

Level's read on this job

Little AI ●○○○ is how Level rates this role: aI is not part of the work.
The posting mentions Verilog, SystemVerilog and Vhdl among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as a senior role.
Amazon has 20,000+ other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

Senior FPGA Engineer to design and test modem solutions for low-earth orbit satellite communications at Amazon Leo.

verilogsystemverilogvhdlxilinx-vivadomicrochip-liberopythonperlpcieddrvitis

fpgartl-designsignal-processinghardware-designsimulation

Amazon Leo is an initiative to launch a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that will provide low-latency, high-speed broadband connectivity to unserved and under served communities around the world.

Innovation is part of our DNA! Our goal is to be Earth's most customer centric company, and we are just getting started. We need people who want to join an ambitious program that continues to push the state of the art in distributed systems and hardware design.

As a Sr. FPGA engineer on the Amazon Leo for Government Product Development team you will create FPGA solutions to support Amazon Leo satellite communication system. This is a unique opportunity to define a ground breaking new system with few legacy constraints. You will work with systems and algorithm teams to define/develop/implement/test/release FPGA-based modem solutions to enable Amazon Leo. In particular, your work will power high-speed optical communication links while making use of the latest generations of FPGA technologies, design processes, and tools.

You will tackle challenging, novel situations every day and have the opportunity to work with multiple technical teams at Amazon in different locations, partner teams, and end customers.

Key job responsibilities
- Create and release FPGAs through the development phases of uArchitecture-RTL Design-Physical Implementation-Timing Closure–Simulation Validation– Lab Based Silicon Validation.
- Collaborate with RF and Optical Communications and Signal Processing system architects and design engineers to define, design, implement, and test modem and digital logic functions in FPGA technology.
- Writing RTL code, developing testbenches, performing simulation and timing closure, and debugging in a laboratory environment.
- Proficiency in Verilog, SystemVerilog, or VHDL; experience with Xilinx Vivado or Microchip Libero; proficiency in Linux, scripting (Python/Perl), and interface protocols like PCIe or DDR.
- Collaborate with system architects and design engineers to implement digital logic functions in FPGA prototypes to validate/tradeoff architecture & design alternatives.
- Collaborate with systems architects, HW engineering design teams & FW/SW design teams to bring up and test systems combining FPGA, firmware, Optics, and Networking functions.
- Drive trade-off analysis to benefit customer experience and optimization of target technology resources for cost/size/power/performance/features
- Utilize FPGA design tools including Vivado / Vitis with new System Verilog / VHDL RTL code and existing/new IP core integration.

The role is located in Northridge, CA, and includes US relocation benefits.

Security Clearance: Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain a US Government security clearance of TS/SCI, so you must be a U.S. citizen for consideration.

Export Control : This position requires that the candidate selected be a U.S. Citizen in order to comply with U.S. government-imposed requirements related to the nature of the work and/or where it will be performed.

About the team
The Amazon Leo for Government Product Development Engineering team is a multi-disciplinary technology team involved in developing and delivering targeted and scalable solutions for custom satellite and ground applications, including United States and allied government customers.

Basic qualifications

- 7+ years of digital design in communication systems experience
- 7+ years of verification in communication systems experience
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field
- Knowledge of serial protocols including SPI, I2C, I3C, and UART
- Experience in communication theory, OFDM, MIMO, Digital/Wireless Communication Systems or RF engineering
- Experience leading or solely developing methodology and scripts for physical synthesis
- Experience low power design techniques
- Experience in test setup automation using MATLAB, Python, or Pearl
- Experience with Agile, TDD, BDD, CI, and Git
- Experience developing PHY/MAC layer HW/SW targeting SoCs, FPGAs, and general-purpose processors
- Experience leading technical initiatives and key deliverables
- Experience with version control systems and CI/CD pipeline implementation
- Experience in Bare Metal Environment development, including linker scripts, page tables and NVIC

Preferred qualifications

- Master's degree or Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering or related field
- Experience in RTL coding and debug, as well as performance, power, area analysis and trade-offs
- Experience with modern ASIC/FPGA design and verification tools
- Experience with SOC bring-up and post-silicon validation

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, CA, NORTHRIDGE - 185,200.00 - 250,000.00 USD annually

How we rate this

Sr. FPGA Engineer, Amazon Leo for Government at Amazon rates 0 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Sr. FPGA Engineer, Amazon Leo for Government is an open job at Amazon.
Level rates this role AI Level 1 of 4: Little AI.
The listed salary is $185k-$250k a year.
The role is based in US, CA, Northridge.
The job was posted on August 30, 2026.
Seniority: senior.
Applications are handled by Amazon. Apply on Amazon

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

FPGARtl DesignSignal ProcessingHardware DesignSimulationVerilogSystemVerilogVhdl

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where fpga was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where rtl design was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where signal processing was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where hardware design was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where simulation was part of your work. What did you do?

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List these exact terms on your resume: FPGA, Rtl Design, Signal Processing, Hardware Design, and Simulation. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.

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