Senior Firmware Engineer
Summary
Senior Firmware Engineer at NewSpace Systems (Somerset West, South Africa) developing, debugging, and verifying FPGA firmware for satellite communication systems — implementing DSP algorithms, communication, high-speed interface, and networking protocols in VHDL/Verilog — plus hardware integration, formal documentation, and production support.
KEY PURPOSE OF JOB
The Firmware Design Engineer is responsible for contributing to the development, implementation, and verification of advanced satellite communication systems within a multidisciplinary engineering team. The role focuses on designing and supporting firmware solutions for aerospace applications, ensuring high performance, reliability, and compliance with industry standards throughout the product development and manufacturing lifecycle.
KEY TASKS
The Senior Firmware Design Engineer will be responsible for implementing functionalities such as DSP algorithms and communication protocols, high-speed interface protocols, and networking protocols in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs):
Develop all aspects of an embedded system firmware implementation, including architecting firmware implementation and creating, debugging and testing firmware
Supporting hardware integration.
Research, develop and testing of theoretical and conceptual designs.
Work as part of a multidisciplinary team to derive and define engineering requirements based on system-level requirements.
Create and maintain formal engineering documentation such as specifications, test procedures, design reports, and production documentation.
Work with the Industrialization, Production, and Quality departments to bring up production and resolve manufacturing issues.
Attending requirement and proposal discussions with clients when required.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
Qualification:
B.Sc/B.Eng degree in Electronic Engineering from a recognized institution
Experience (ideally within aerospace or defence industry):
Firmware development using VHDL or Verilog (8+ years)
Designing and building high-reliability electronic products (5–7+ years)
Additional knowledge areas that would strengthen the application:
Master’s degree
Experience with high-speed digital design, schematics, and PCB layout (preferably Altium Designer)
8+ years designing and simulating analog and digital electronic circuits
8+ years testing and debugging electronic circuits
Software development experience in C, C++, and Python
Experience modelling DSP algorithms (e.g., FFT, filters) and communication waveforms using MATLAB or Python
Experience in designing and architecting communication systems
Proven leadership and mentoring abilities
COMPETENCIES & SKILLS
Self-motivated and proactive, with a strong sense of ownership
Innovative thinker, able to develop creative solutions to complex problems
Highly responsible and accountable for delivering quality results
Strong team player, able to collaborate effectively across disciplines
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Customer-focused, with the ability to understand and meet client needs
Resilient, adaptable, and able to recover quickly from setbacks
Flexible and capable of managing multiple tasks in fast-paced, ambiguous environments
Resourceful, able to find solutions independently when needed
Strong self-management skills, able to set priorities and meet deadlines
LANGUAGE
English