FPGA Firmware Engineer

Job Title

FPGA Firmware Engineer

Role Summary

Work on a small firmware team developing FPGA firmware that controls advanced photonic embedded systems for mission-critical autonomous platforms. The role focuses on deterministic low-latency processing, timing, and closed-loop control integrated with sensors and hardware.

Company is based in Austin, TX. Role is primarily remote within the United States with occasional required visits to the Austin office.

Experience Level

Mid-level. Specific years of experience not stated; position targets engineers with demonstrated FPGA firmware experience.

Responsibilities

Deliver FPGA firmware and collaborate with hardware and systems teams to integrate and validate real-time control systems.

• Design, implement and maintain FPGA firmware using VHDL and/or Verilog.
• Implement deterministic low-latency digital signal processing and timing logic.
• Develop and tune closed-loop control algorithms on FPGA.
• Integrate and interface with sensors and hardware control circuits.
• Optimize designs for timing closure and resource usage.
• Create testbenches, run simulations, and perform hardware bring-up and verification.
• Support field testing and occasional travel to the Austin office.

Requirements

Key must-have skills and constraints, followed by desirable experience.

• Must-have: US Citizen or Green Card holder (required for this role).
• Must-have: Practical FPGA firmware development experience using VHDL and/or Verilog.
• Must-have: Experience with sensor interfacing and hardware control on FPGA platforms.
• Must-have: Proven ability to achieve timing closure and optimize FPGA designs for low latency.
• Must-have: Experience implementing closed-loop control systems and low-latency digital signal processing on FPGA.
• Must-have: Ability to travel to Austin, TX occasionally; local candidates preferred.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with photonics, autonomous systems, robotics, or navigation technologies.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with hardware bring-up, lab testing, and real-time system validation.

Education Requirements

Not specified.

About the Company

Company: Edison Smart

Headquarters: Austin, TX, United States

Stealth photonics and defense startup based in Austin developing next-generation embedded and photonic systems for mission-critical autonomous platforms, specializing in FPGA firmware, low-latency signal processing, timing, and closed-loop control.