FPGA Engineer

Job Title

FPGA Engineer

Role Summary

Design and implement FPGA-based software-defined radio (SDR) systems. The role covers research, architecture, RTL development, simulation, hardware bring-up, and field validation to deliver working radio designs.

Work as part of an engineering team supporting system development, integration, and test for radio communication products.

Experience Level

Mid-level — typically requires 3+ years developing SDR solutions and FPGA designs.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include research, design, implementation, and validation of FPGA/SDR systems:

• Research signal processing techniques and communication protocols to inform hardware and algorithm design.
• Create high-level architectures and internal design documentation to guide implementation and testing.
• Translate requirements into RTL implementations and implement algorithms in VHDL/Verilog.
• Develop supporting software for FPGA/SDR configuration, control, and data processing.
• Simulate, debug, and optimize designs using simulation tools and deploy designs to FPGA hardware for validation.
• Collaborate with field engineers during system integration, final testing, and validation.

Requirements

Must-have:

• 3+ years experience developing Software Defined Radio (SDR) solutions.
• Practical VHDL programming experience; ability to write and optimize RTL.
• Experience with FPGA toolchains (Vivado or Quartus).
• Linux experience for development and test environments.
• Familiarity with version control (Git, SVN, or Mercurial).
• Active Secret clearance required; Top Secret/SCI is a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to discuss complex technical topics.

Nice-to-have:

• RF communications experience and familiarity with RF test equipment (spectrum analyzer, RSA, vector waveform generator).
• Beginner to intermediate experience with C and Python for support tooling.
• Intermediate/advanced VHDL and experience with FPGA debugging tools via JTAG (ChipScope or SignalTap).

Education Requirements

BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related STEM field, or equivalent practical experience.

About the Company

Company: Associates Systems

Engineering and technical services firm providing FPGA, software-defined radio (SDR), and RF communications solutions and support for government, defense, and commercial customers.