---
title: 'Senior FPGA Engineer at Kapta Space'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-fpga-engineer-kapta-space-redmond-gbkfcc21z9v6'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Senior FPGA Engineer at Kapta Space

- **Company:** Kapta Space
- **Location:** Redmond, WA
- **Compensation:** $215k–$250k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-25
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/kapta-space/edd96912-ec96-49ae-a102-0cd4c634cfbb

## Job description

Kapta Space, a VC-funded early-stage startup in Seattle, WA, is breaking new ground in Geospatial Intelligence.  Our technology centers around a proven, scalable electronically-steered radar for sophisticated spaceborne applications such as earth observation using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) techniques, as well as enabling advanced defense missions such as target tracking on the ground and in the air.

## Role

- Assist multi-disciplinary team in creating firmware requirements
- Architect, design, and implement software for our Radar Sensor
- Work collaboratively with radar algorithm, hardware, software and mechanical engineers to build reliable, embedded firmware for the payload
- Evaluate implementation/maintenance, complexity and resource requirements (logic cells, embedded memory, DSP Slices) for control and signal processing routines in RTL. Produce trade-studies to support decision making
- Integrate RTL designs onto FPGA/SoC platforms with synthesis, place and route, and timing analysis
- Lead verification and validation of FPGA design on prototype and fight hardware
- Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly growing team

Required Qualifications

- BS or MS degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
- 8+ years of experience in embedded firmware development (ideally for radar applications)
- Experience with bring up and verification of RTL-based designs on targeted HW
- Experience with low-speed interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, RS422, etc.)
- Comfortable with Git, CI, Code Reviews, and Version Control and organized enough to be productive in a lean startup environment
- Experience in RTL design with Verilog/VHDL for satellite applications
- Ability to read schematic diagrams
- Don’t meet them all? Not a problem. Please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria.

Bonus if candidates have experience and skills in the following areas:

- Experience designing and implementing distributed digital systems
- Experience with Clock Domain Crossing and Timing Closure
- Experience with AMD Ultrascale+ platforms
- Experience with interfaces for high-speed ADC/DACs (JESD204)
- Experience implementing signal processing algorithms in RTL
- Experience with embedded designs with multiple FPGAs and peripheral interfaces (SPI, UART, GPIO, I2C, Ethernet)
- Experience implementing efficient, low latency data movement between FPGAs, processors, storage devices, and networking interfaces
- Working knowledge of networking stacks (Ethernet, TCP/IP)
- Ability to gain and hold a TS security clearance

Concerned you do not meet all the requirements? Not a problem - please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria.

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Kapta Employees must be U.S. citizens, lawful U.S. permanent residents (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or Commerce as applicable.

Kapta Space is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe that diversity drives innovation, strengthens our team, and broadens our capabilities. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply.

Kapta Space does not engage with external recruiters or agencies without prior written agreement. If you are a recruiter (individual or agency) and wish to engage with Kapta Space for talent acquisition, please email hr@kaptaspace.com.

## About Kapta Space

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Kapta Space develops next-generation spaceborne radar systems using metasurface-based electronically steered antennas to provide persistent geospatial intelligence and defense tracking capabilities.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: Seattle, Washington, USA
- **Founded**: 2023 (company work began in 2022)
- **Founders**: Milton Perque (CEO) and Adam Bily (CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Spaceborne radar, geospatial intelligence, defense technology
- **Target customers**: U.S. defense agencies (DARPA, military), satellite operators, commercial data aggregators, and industries such as mining, energy, and transportation
- **Mission**: "Arm our partners with persistent and actionable insights on a global scale."

## Products & Services
- **Metasurface Electronically Steered Array (ESA) Radar**: A low-cost, energy-efficient spaceborne radar platform that uses ultra-thin metamaterial surfaces to shape electromagnetic waves, enabling synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging and ground moving target indication (GMTI).
- **InSAR Change Detection**: Interferometric SAR data providing millimeter-scale 3D change detection for commercial applications in mining, energy, and transportation.
- **Defense Tracking Solutions**: Spaceborne radar for tracking custody of mobile land and sea targets, moving target indication, and resilience against electronic warfare (EW) threats.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of $5M in seed (2025) plus a $1.8M DARPA SBIR contract; CB Insights lists a total of $5.5M (conflicting reports on total funding amount)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: MetaVC Partners (lead, backed by Bill Gates), Entrada Ventures, Blue Collective; DARPA as a government partner
- **Growth Signals**: Exited stealth mode in February 2025; secured security clearances for classified defense contracts; plans in-orbit demonstration with 2–3 satellites; actively seeking additional private and military investment.

## Competitive Advantages
- Proven, scalable electronically steered metasurface antenna architecture that is cheaper and more energy-efficient than traditional Active Electronically Steered Arrays (AESAs)
- Strong defense credentials: DARPA contract, security clearances, and deep founder expertise from Echodyne, Apple, and Astranis
- Unique capability to maintain continuous tracking of moving targets from space (GMTI), a historically elusive defense challenge
- Operational resilience against electronic warfare threats, enabling effective operations in contested environments

## Strategic Focus
- Rapidly transition technology from ground demonstrations to in-orbit validation
- Build and launch a constellation of at least 2–3 satellites to demonstrate moving-target custody handoff
- Expand into additional defense markets: maritime domain awareness, space-based ballistic missile defense, and space domain awareness
- Form partnerships with mission providers, launch services, and ground operations to accelerate deployment

## Why Work Here
- On-site work environment in Seattle, WA
- Small, focused team (~10 employees) with direct impact on cutting-edge space radar technology
- Opportunity to work on high-stakes defense and national security applications
- Early-stage startup culture with close collaboration between engineering and leadership
- No specific perks or remote policy publicly listed; candidates are encouraged to join the Kapta Talent Community for updates

## Sources
1. [kaptaspace.com](https://www.kaptaspace.com/)
2. [spacenews.com](https://spacenews.com/kapta-space-exits-stealth-mode-with-bold-plans-for-space-based-target-tracking/)
3. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/kapta-space)
4. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/kapta-space)
5. [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/kapta-space)

## Other roles at Kapta Space

- [Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-embedded-firmware-engineer-kapta-space-redmond-vrzwhrz316mk) — Redmond, WA
- [Senior Technical Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-program-manager-kapta-space-redmond-2ekfnxqq1gc2) — Redmond, WA
- [Director of Hardware Engineering – Spaceborne Radar Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-hardware-engineering-spaceborne-radar-systems-kapta-space-redmond-xdxwcbtyvbab) — Redmond, WA
- [Director – Radar Payloads](https://feeny.ai/job/director-radar-payloads-kapta-space-redmond-04k6v82npmj7) — Redmond, WA
- [Senior Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-kapta-space-redmond-9cdppynk9dv9) — Redmond, WA
- [Principal Antenna Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-antenna-engineer-kapta-space-redmond-4etxpxgfqyq1) — Redmond, WA
- [Principal Radar Engineer- MTI](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-radar-engineer-mti-kapta-space-redmond-06mrkr5btv14) — Redmond, WA
- [Principal RF/Microwave Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-rf-microwave-engineer-kapta-space-redmond-wwh7hf2d9m4t) — Redmond, WA
- [Director of Manufacturing – Spaceborne Radar Payloads](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-manufacturing-spaceborne-radar-payloads-kapta-space-redmond-7kfkg0kcppk1) — Redmond, WA
- [Senior PCB Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-pcb-designer-kapta-space-redmond-7d8899d9qdnt) — Redmond, WA