FPGA Engineer

Job Title

FPGA Engineer

Role Summary

The FPGA Engineer is responsible for the analysis, design, integration, documentation, and troubleshooting of embedded FPGA and firmware designs for motor controller products (approx. 100 W to 50 kW) across Space, Defense, Energy, and Thermal Management segments.

The role works within the electrical engineering department under a project lead, collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver hardware, firmware, and test solutions for new designs, product enhancements, manufacturing support, and sustainment.

Experience Level

Senior — minimum 8 years of related experience developing complex embedded products with multiple subsystems.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include system-level firmware/FPGA work, verification, and cross-functional coordination.

• Decompose customer requirements and allocate firmware/FPGA functionality.
• Design, implement, and document firmware and FPGA solutions; own firmware content for design reviews.
• Develop integration and formal test plans; specify and procure test hardware.
• Troubleshoot FPGA hardware and firmware on target in lab and production environments.
• Review test results, derive conclusions, and recommend corrective actions.
• Lead technical analysis and design efforts with minimal oversight; support sustainment and obsolescence challenges.
• Mentor and interface with other engineers; participate in programmatic activities (budgets, schedules, milestones).

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, constraints, and working conditions.

• Must-have:
• Minimum 8 years of relevant experience developing embedded products with multiple subsystems.
• Proven experience developing firmware for embedded controller hardware from proposal to shipment.
• Proficiency with FPGA toolsets (Vivado, Libero, Quartus, Diamond) and FPGA vendors (Xilinx, Microsemi, Lattice).
• Strong MATLAB/Simulink skills and ≥5 years building Simulink models.
• Ability to debug FPGA hardware on target in a laboratory environment.
• Experience with embedded interfaces and protocols: SPI, PCIe, RS-422, CAN, ARINC, I2C, CRCs, JTAG.
• Working knowledge of safety-critical systems/architectures, switching power supplies, inverter design, and motor controls.
• Must meet ITAR eligibility: U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident (green card), refugee, or asylee.
• Willingness to work overtime as required and travel up to 10%.
• Nice-to-have:
• Experience designing safety-critical FPGA architectures (DO-254/MIL-STD-882) and aerospace/defense applications.
• Experience using MATLAB HDL Coder and MTALB's HDL workflows for FPGA development.
• Experience with motion control, ARP4754/ARP4761 processes, FMECA/FHA/SHA, and FPGA elemental analysis.
• Experience with requirements management tools (Polarion, Jama, DOORS).
• Ability to create vendor-agnostic FPGA functions and port designs between devices.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.

About the Company

Company: Barber-Nichols

Headquarters: Arvada, CO, United States

Designer and manufacturer of custom turbomachinery and related systems for defense, aerospace, cryogenics, and energy markets. Known for engineered solutions such as blowers and motor controllers for space and naval programs, Barber-Nichols provides design, testing, and production services for advanced propulsion, thermal management, and power systems.