FPGA Digital Design Engineer Level 3 (AHT)

Job Title

FPGA Digital Design Engineer Level 3 (AHT)

Role Summary

Senior FPGA/Digital Design Engineer supporting the ARRGM-ER missile program within Northrop Grumman Advanced Weapons in Northridge, CA. The role focuses on FPGA and ASIC design across the product lifecycle using model-based engineering, DevSecOps, and Agile practices.

Experience Level

Senior-level. This role expects substantial hands-on experience in digital design and verification (senior competency; see Education Requirements for formal experience guidance).

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include design, implementation, integration, and verification of complex high-speed digital FPGA systems for weapon systems.

• Design, develop, modify and evaluate digital electronic components and integrated circuitry for FPGA/ASIC-based systems.
• Define design approaches, parameters and select components based on specifications and reliability analysis.
• Implement FPGA hardware architectures and algorithms; translate system requirements to FPGA designs.
• Analyze test results, perform experiments, and evaluate performance against requirements.
• Collaborate with Systems Engineering to ensure firmware/firmware-hardware integration meets system-level requirements.
• Review designs and analyses; support design reviews and vendor capability assessments.
• Support board- and system-level debug using test equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, etc.).
• Develop verification assets and support formal and simulation-based verification flows.

Requirements

Must-have skills and experience for successful performance in this role; preferred items listed separately.

Must-have:

• Hands-on FPGA design experience using VHDL and/or Verilog (recent practical experience required).
• Experience with AMD/Xilinx and/or Intel/Altera SoC FPGAs and related EDA tools (examples: Vivado, Quartus, QuestaSim).
• Experience with requirements management and traceability tools (DOORS).
• Experience with programmable logic/FPGA requirements decomposition, verification, tracing, and design practices.
• Ability to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Government Secret security clearance.

Nice-to-have / Preferred:

• Proficiency in DSP algorithms and implementation on FPGA using MATLAB/Simulink.
• Experience achieving timing closure and applying FPGA physical constraints.
• Experience generating complex test benches (Modelsim/Questasim) and formal verification support.
• Familiarity with high-speed interfaces and implementations (AXI, DMA, PCIe, HSSI, DDR3, Ethernet).
• Experience with VxWorks RTOS, Cameo, cybersecurity/SSE background, RF design, or system-level debug.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or other STEM discipline with 8+ years of digital design and verification engineering experience, or a Master’s degree with 6+ years of related experience. (Degree and years specified in original qualifications.)

About the Company

Company: Northrop Grumman

Headquarters: Falls Church, Virginia, United States

Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company that provides innovative solutions in mission systems, electronics, and software. With a legacy of significant advancements in technology, we empower employees to tackle complex challenges and create revolutionary systems that enhance global security. Our diverse teams focus on engineering innovation and product development, delivering solutions that support military and civilian customers worldwide.