1

Associate Engineering Jobs in State College, PA (NOW HIRING)

Engineering Technician will work directly with Engineers and other Engineering Technicians ... Required Qualifications: 1. Associates Degree, or High School diploma and 2 years technical ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

Associate Engineering information

See State College, PA salary details

$40.6K

$80.8K

$129.1K

How much do associate engineering jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 27, 2026, the average yearly pay for associate engineering in State College, PA is $80,818.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $64,100.00 and $92,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

Senior engineering roles such as Petroleum Engineers, Software Engineering Managers, and certain specialized roles in investment banking or high-frequency trading can earn $500,000 or more annually. These positions typically require extensive experience, advanced skills, and often involve leadership responsibilities or working in high-stakes industries.

What does an Associate Engineer do?

An Associate Engineer is an entry-level professional who assists in designing, developing, and maintaining engineering projects. They work under the supervision of senior engineers, helping with technical tasks such as drafting plans, conducting tests, and collecting data. Their responsibilities may also include troubleshooting issues, preparing reports, and ensuring projects comply with industry standards. Associate Engineers typically work in fields like civil, mechanical, electrical, or software engineering.

What can you do with an Associate in engineering?

An associate degree in engineering prepares individuals for technical roles such as engineering technician, CAD drafter, or quality control inspector. These positions involve supporting engineering projects, performing testing, and using tools like AutoCAD or MATLAB, often requiring strong problem-solving skills and familiarity with industry standards.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Associate Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Associate Engineer, you need a solid understanding of engineering principles, problem-solving skills, and typically a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field. Familiarity with industry-standard software such as AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or MATLAB, and sometimes certifications like EIT (Engineer-in-Training), are commonly required. Strong teamwork, adaptability, and effective communication are soft skills that help you stand out in this role. These skills and qualities are vital for successfully executing technical tasks, collaborating on projects, and supporting senior engineers in achieving organizational goals.

What are some typical challenges Associate Engineers face when transitioning from academic projects to real-world engineering teams?

Associate Engineers often find that moving from academic projects to professional engineering teams involves adapting to faster-paced timelines, working within established processes, and collaborating with colleagues from various disciplines. Unlike academic work, where projects might be more theoretical or self-directed, real-world engineering requires balancing multiple tasks, following industry standards, and communicating effectively to ensure project success. Over time, most associate engineers develop strong problem-solving and teamwork skills, which are essential for advancement and continued success in the field.

What is the work of Associate engineer?

An Associate Engineer supports engineering projects by assisting with design, analysis, testing, and documentation. They often work under the supervision of senior engineers, using tools like CAD software and following technical standards to contribute to project development and problem-solving.

What is the difference between Associate Engineering vs Mechanical Engineering?

AspectAssociate EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Required CredentialsAssociate degree or diploma, some certificationsBachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, licensure often not required initially
Work EnvironmentEntry-level, technical support, manufacturing, constructionDesign, analysis, research, manufacturing, often more autonomous
Employer & Industry UsageConstruction firms, manufacturing companies, government agenciesEngineering firms, manufacturing, aerospace, automotive industries

Associate Engineering roles typically require an associate degree and focus on technical support and implementation tasks. Mechanical Engineering positions usually demand a bachelor's degree and involve design, analysis, and problem-solving responsibilities. Both roles are essential in engineering projects but differ in education level, scope, and responsibilities.

What engineers make $200,000 a year?

Senior engineers in fields such as software, petroleum, aerospace, and electrical engineering can earn $200,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, advanced skills, and often in high-demand industries or leadership roles. Compensation varies based on location, company size, and specialization, with some roles requiring advanced degrees or certifications.
What are the most commonly searched types of Engineering jobs in State College, PA? The most popular types of Engineering jobs in State College, PA are:
What are popular job titles related to Associate Engineering jobs in State College, PA? For Associate Engineering jobs in State College, PA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Associate Engineering jobs in State College, PA look for? The top searched job categories for Associate Engineering jobs in State College, PA are:
What cities near State College, PA are hiring for Associate Engineering jobs? Cities near State College, PA with the most Associate Engineering job openings:
Infographic showing various Associate Engineering job openings in State College, PA as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 69% Full Time, 28% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 97% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $80,818 per year, or $38.9 per hour.

Associate FPGA Engineer

Airbus US Space and Defense, Inc.

University Park, PA • On-site, Remote

$127K - $163K/yr

Full-time

Posted 9 days ago


Job description

This position offers fully remote opportunities for candidates across the United States. HIGHLY preferred work location: College Station, PA.

Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc offers advanced solutions to meet the most complex U.S. defense, security, space, and intelligence requirements. Celebrating over 50 years in the US, we remain a trusted government partner, leveraging world-class satellite, laser communication, rotor and fixed wing solutions to help our national security, defense and space focused customers meet their missions.

Airbus U.S. looks to employ a commitment driven team, dedicated to enabling our customer's mission success. We are committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive work environment and a welcoming and engaging staff. With competitive compensation and superior employee benefits, as well as a commitment to fostering individual career growth, Airbus U.S. is the place where top talent wants to work.

Position Summary:

Airbus U.S. is looking for an enthusiastic and creative FPGA engineer to develop digital logic solutions for our custom hardware on satellites. We're looking for candidates who can bring exceptional skills to accelerate our small-satellite avionics development program.

Position Responsibilities:

The Associate Engineer's primary responsibility will be contributing to FPGA design and development for Airbus U.S.'s next-generation of small-satellite avionics. The Associate Engineer will be heavily involved in the process of FPGA design, initial board bring-up, debugging, testing, requirements verification, and design revisioning across the hardware development life cycle, from prototyping to production. Being at the cutting edge of space technology, we need someone who is eager to learn, grow, and take on new and potentially unfamiliar challenges. There is no shortage of fascinating problems to solve.

The Associate Engineer will report to the program's Lead Principal Engineer.

FPGA Development and Verification ~ 70%

  • Utilize design and quality requirements, electrical schematics, and parts datasheets to develop and document FPGA solutions for control and dataflow applications in small satellite avionics.
  • Develop and verify VHDL RTL and top-level block diagram solutions for FPGA SoCs.
  • Create FPGA device constraints, perform logic synthesis, execute place and route, and generate FPGA device images in the Vivado and Libero design environments.
  • Perform static timing analysis and achieve timing closure, generate and verify compilation reports, and disposition compilation warnings.
  • Document the design, software interfaces, and compilation results.

Hardware Bring Up and Testing Support ~ 20%

  • Support laboratory-based testing, troubleshooting, and performance characterizations of FPGA designs on development kits and custom hardware solutions.
  • Develop test scripts and software for embedded Linux and bare-metal platforms to validate hardware function and performance during board bring-up, debugging, and testing.

Additional Responsibilities ~ 10%

  • Support hardware architecture development, including reviewing selected FPGA devices for fitness to their intended applications and estimating resource utilization and power dissipation.
  • Provide an FPGA-based review of electrical schematics and PCB designs, including pin assignments, clock generation, reset distribution, and high-speed interfaces to memories and transceivers.
  • Support make-vs-buy trade studies for licensing third-party IP cores.
  • Support board-level and unit-level design reviews.
  • Support systems engineering and cross-disciplinary development efforts.

Qualified Experience / Skills / Training:

Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in STEM (Science, Technical, Engineering, Math) or related areas.

Experience:

  • Industry experience with FPGAs is considered a plus.
  • Academic and/or internship experience with FPGAs may be considered in lieu of industry work experience.

Knowledge, Skills, Demonstrated Capabilities:

  • Familiarity in coding structural and behavioral architectures in hardware description languages such as VHDL, Verilog, or System Verilog.
  • Familiarity with FPGA design tools from AMD Xilinx Vivado and Microchip Libero, including SoC block diagram integration and third-party IP utilization.
  • Familiarity in the use of Git for source code revision control.
  • Familiarity with programming for hardware verification and validation, including C, C++, and Python.
  • High proficiency in oral and written technical communication.

Travel Required 20-25%

  • Position requires on-site work on an as-needed basis in the program's electronics development laboratory located in University Park, Pennsylvania.
  • Occasional travel to the facilities of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and the facilities of its subcontractors will also be required.

Eligibility:

  • US Citizenship is required.

Clearance:

  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
  • Active U.S. DoD security clearance at Secret or above highly desirable.

Physical Requirements:

  • Vision: able to see and read computer screen and other electronic equipment with screens, able to read documents.
  • Hearing: able to hear to participate in conversations in person and via teleconference or phone and to hear sounds including safety warnings or alarms.
  • Equipment Operation (personal computer, telephone, copies, fax machine, and related office equipment and using electronic identification card to enter building floors and internal doors): able to operate most office and personal electronic equipment.
  • Carrying: able to carry documents, electronic equipment and/or supplies up to 40lbs/9kg.
  • Lifting: able to lift documents, electronic equipment and/or supplies up to 40lbs/9kg.
  • Sitting: able to sit for long periods of time in meetings, working on computer.
  • Squatting / Kneeling: able to occasionally squat or kneel to retrieve or replace items shelved on bottom shelves.
  • Standing: able to stand for long periods of time.
  • Walking: able to walk through office and outside areas including uneven surfaces.

Equal Opportunity:

Airbus provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status, or other legally protected status. In addition to federal law requirements, Airbus complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, demotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, benefits, and training. Airbus expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status.

As a matter of policy, Airbus does not sponsor visas for US positions unless specified. Only applicants with current work authorization will be considered. Airbus does not offer tenured or guaranteed employment. Employment with Airbus is at will, meaning either the company or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. Airbus reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises. This position description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.

By submitting your resume or application you are consenting to Airbus using and storing information about you for monitoring purposes relating to your application or future employment. This information will only be used by Airbus. Airbus is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or religious belief. Airbus is, and always has been, committed to equal opportunities for all. As such, we will never ask for any type of monetary exchange in the frame of a recruitment process. Any impersonation of Airbus to do so should be reported to HR@airbusus.com.

Company Website:  www.airbusus.com