Lead FPGA / Hardware Engineer

Quest Defense Systems & Solutions•Wilmington, NC

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Quest Defense Systems & Solutions (QDSS) is seeking an FPGA / Hardware Team Lead to support the development of advanced instrumentation and control electronic systems for the nuclear power industry. This role involves FPGA design, verification, simulation, integration, and test activities for complex control system hardware in a highly regulated, safety-focused environment. It is a technical leadership position where the candidate will contribute directly to FPGA development and verification while also guiding a small engineering team. Responsibilities include design and test specifications, FPGA simulation, integration support, development of test hardware and software, and execution of test campaigns. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys technical involvement and ownership of team coordination, delivery commitments, and engineering quality. The position can be based in Wilmington, NC, or performed remotely, with approximately 10-15% travel for testing, integration, and key design phases. All candidates must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
5+ years of experience in FPGA design, FPGA verification, digital hardware development, hardware testing, or related engineering work.
Minimum of 2+ years prior experience leading a small technical team, mentoring engineers, coordinating sprint execution, or managing technical task priorities.
Hands-on experience with FPGA design and verification using VHDL, SystemVerilog, UVM, or similar languages and methodologies.
Working knowledge of FPGA and hardware development lifecycles, including requirements, design, verification, validation, integration, and test documentation.
Ability to troubleshoot FPGA, hardware, or verification issues through simulation, lab integration, debugging, and root cause analysis.
Experience supporting formal or informal test campaigns for hardware, FPGA, or electronic systems.
Ability to provide technical guidance, coordinate engineering tasks, mentor team members, or lead technical workstreams.
Strong communication skills with the ability to work with program leadership, customers, stakeholders, and cross-functional engineering teams.
Experience working in a structured, regulated, safety-critical, mission-critical, or quality-driven engineering environment.
U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent residency is required.
Ability to travel approximately 10 to 15% during testing, integration, and key design phases as needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience in nuclear, energy, aerospace, defense, avionics, industrial controls, or another regulated engineering environment.
Experience with instrumentation and control electronic systems, real-time embedded hardware, safety-critical controls, or complex electronic systems.
Experience with FPGA development and simulation tools such as Quartus, Vivado, ModelSim, Questa, or similar tools.
Familiarity with scripting languages such as Python, Tcl, or similar tools used for automation, simulation, test, or workflow efficiency.
Experience supporting technical reviews, design reviews, test readiness reviews, milestone reviews, or customer-facing technical meetings.
Personnel management experience, including coaching, performance feedback, training plans, or employee development.
Experience in adoption and/or integration of emerging technologies (e.g., generative AI, automation platforms, digital assistants) into day-to-day operations for continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

FPGA development, simulation, integration, and test activities for instrumentation and control electronic systems.
Develop, update, and review FPGA design documentation, including design specifications, test specifications, requirements, and traceability documentation.
Perform FPGA design and verification using languages and methodologies such as VHDL, SystemVerilog, and UVM.
Support simulation, debugging, root cause analysis, and resolution of FPGA design or verification issues.
Participate in FPGA design flow activities, including design implementation, simulation, synthesis, timing analysis, integration, and test support.
Support development and execution of informal and formal test campaigns for FPGA and hardware products.
Prepare, develop, and support engineering test fixtures, test tools, simulations, and related hardware/software used in the development of I&C electronic systems.
Provide technical leadership and day-to-day coordination for a team of FPGA, hardware, and test engineers.
Own sprint execution, task coordination, delivery commitments, and schedule visibility for assigned work.
Help translate program requirements and technical objectives into actionable engineering tasks.
Drive accountability, remove roadblocks, and support consistent progress across design, verification, integration, and test activities.
Guide and mentor engineers by providing technical direction, leveraging subject matter experts, and helping the team make sound engineering decisions.
Balance technical risk, program priorities, and resource needs to support on-time, high-quality delivery.
Serve as a day-to-day technical point of contact for program management, customers, and internal stakeholders.
Communicate progress, risks, blockers, and mitigation plans clearly and professionally.
Support technical interchange meetings, sprint reviews, design reviews, test readiness reviews, and milestone reviews.
Coordinate across FPGA, hardware, systems, software, and test organizations to ensure alignment across the full development lifecycle.
Review technical approaches, design decisions, verification plans, and test strategies with the engineering team.
Identify technical risk areas early and support mitigation planning with senior engineers and subject matter experts.
Ensure engineering work follows applicable QDSS processes, customer expectations, and quality standards.
Support integration planning, test readiness, troubleshooting, and issue resolution during key phases of development.
Foster a collaborative, high-performance team environment focused on technical quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.