FPGA Design Engineer

Job Title

FPGA Design Engineer

Role Summary

Design and verify FPGA-based digital logic for high-data-rate optical communications and precision line-of-sight tracking systems. Work in a small cross-functional engineering team responsible for RTL development, simulation, implementation, lab bring-up, and field testing.

Taara develops wireless optical communication and photonics technologies to expand affordable internet access.

Experience Level

Mid-level — typically 3+ years of relevant FPGA/Digital Logic design experience.

Responsibilities

Primary day-to-day responsibilities include:

• Design, simulate, implement, and verify RTL for high-data-rate communications and precision tracking systems.
• Develop testbenches and run simulations to validate functional and timing requirements.
• Integrate third-party IP cores, create RTL wrappers, and coordinate with IP vendors.
• Participate in board bring-up, system-level integration, hardware debugging, and field testing.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on DSP and control algorithms for optical communications.
• Maintain and improve FPGA design processes, tools, and documentation.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience:

• 3+ years in FPGA / digital logic design implementing and testing custom RTL with SystemVerilog or Verilog.
• Proven experience with FPGA design flow: simulation, synthesis, and static timing analysis.
• Experience with high-speed FPGA interfaces and timing-sensitive designs.
• Hands-on hardware debugging skills and use of lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, etc.).
• Experience integrating third-party IP, creating RTL wrappers, and interfacing with vendors.
• Board bring-up, system integration, troubleshooting, and field-testing experience.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with AMD UltraScale / UltraScale+ FPGAs or equivalent platforms.
• Embedded C/C++ and scripting (Python, Tcl) for firmware and test automation.
• Experience implementing RTL for high-speed communications, image processing, or real-time tracking.
• Experience with Simulink or High-Level Synthesis tools.

Education Requirements

Required: Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering or a related discipline. Preferred: MS or higher in Computer Engineering or a related field.

About the Company

Company: Taara

Headquarters: Sunnyvale, CA, USA

Born at X, Google's Moonshot Factory, Taara develops wireless optical communication systems and photonics chip technologies to deliver high-speed, affordable internet to underserved regions worldwide.