Principal FPGA Engineer

RTX•Huntsville, AL

3d•$107,500 - $204,500•Onsite

About The Position

The Principal FPGA Engineer will develop FPGA designs for major vendors and device families, including AMD, Altera, and Microchip, supporting applications such as gigabit serial interfaces, RF and EO digital signal processing, controls, data links, embedded processing, and processor interfaces. The role spans requirements definition, architecture, algorithm modeling, partitioning, coding, simulation, place and route, integration, test, and production release. Designs are verified against requirements using directed and constrained-random methodologies, with design documentation and configuration management maintained throughout. The engineer delivers production-quality FPGA releases from proof of concept through production and collaborates with systems, hardware, software engineering, and program management. The position may lead FPGA-based system architecture and design, including selection of parts and interfaces, and requires independently driving projects to program schedules and budgets. This is a 100% onsite role in Huntsville, Alabama, and qualifies for relocation assistance. U.S. citizenship and an active, existing DoD Secret clearance are required after day one.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM), typically, and at least 8 years of relevant experience.
Experience architecting FPGA-based systems and determining parts and interfaces.
At least 8 years of experience in at least 6 of the listed areas: digital design and HDL coding for configurable logic devices; delivering FPGA solutions to system-level applications; one or more Altera, Lattice, Microchip, or AMD FPGA devices and associated tools; electronics integration and debug using equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and multimeters; FPGA timing constraints and timing closure; digital simulation using Questa, RivieraPro, or similar tools; industry-standard interfaces and protocols such as AXI, PCIe, SPI, or I2C; Python or C programming; and working with IP cores.
U.S. citizenship, as required for eligibility for a security clearance.
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance; an active and existing DoD Secret clearance is required after day one.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of digital design principles.
Experience with radar processing techniques.
Experience with image processing for visual and infrared sensors.
Experience with gigabit serial interfaces and multi-gigabit transceivers (MGTs).
Experience with embedded processor and system-on-chip development for FPGA devices.
Knowledge of embedded systems design using Microblaze, Nios, or ARM processors.
FPGA design experience in a Linux-based development environment.
Knowledge of Git and GitHub.
Knowledge of encryption and decryption standards such as AES, RSA, and ECC.
Familiarity with the Linux environment and commands.
Cross-discipline knowledge, such as software, systems, and modeling.
Motivation to learn and contribute in a fast-paced team environment.
Experience verifying designs using hardware platforms.
Experience with system-level FPGA requirements specification and architecture development.
Experience working in a team environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work independently and complete tasks with minimal oversight.
Practical knowledge of project management.
Ability to identify dependencies and potential impacts on projects, programs, or systems.
Leadership experience, such as team lead, technical lead, or project lead.
MS or Ph.D. in Electrical or Computer Engineering.

Responsibilities

Develop and deliver production-quality FPGA designs from proof of concept through production release.
Collaborate with systems, hardware, and software engineers and program management to ensure product success.
Lead FPGA-based systems architecture and design as needed, including determining parts and interfaces.
Design and code in VHDL for reliability, maintainability, reviewability, and reusability.
Verify designs using self-checking directed and constrained-random tests, tracking functional and code coverage.
Translate system-level requirements into FPGA requirements and support design from requirements definition through integration and test.
Create and maintain requirements, verification plans, user guides, and configuration management documentation.
Participate in internal and external technical reviews.
Independently drive projects and execute to program schedules and budgets.
Solve complex, often undefined problems where information may be difficult to obtain.