Principal FPGA Digital Design Engineer

Job Title

Principal FPGA Digital Design Engineer

Role Summary

Lead and execute FPGA design work within the Countermeasure & Electromagnetic Attack Solutions (CEMA) Hardware Engineering Group. The role covers the full FPGA development lifecycle including architecture support, RTL implementation, synthesis, place-and-route, timing closure, verification, lab bring-up, and post-delivery product support.

Experience Level

Senior — typically requires 6+ years of relevant FPGA/ASIC design experience (see Education Requirements for degree guidance).

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include:

• Drive FPGA design from architecture through production support, owning RTL coding and integration.
• Perform synthesis, place-and-route, static timing analysis, and achieve timing closure.
• Develop and run digital simulations and basic verification test benches (Modelsim/Questa).
• Support lab bring-up, debug hardware using internal logic analyzers (ILA/chipscope/signaltap) and other lab equipment.
• Implement and review clock domain crossing and high-speed interface designs (SERDES, PCIe, DDR2/3/4, LVDS).
• Create and maintain build and automation scripts (Perl, Tcl, Python, shell).
• Ensure FPGA security best practices and provide product sustainment and field support as needed.
• Mentor junior engineers and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, clearances, and professional attributes:

• U.S. Person required and ability to obtain a U.S. Secret security clearance.
• Proven FPGA or ASIC development experience with VHDL (preferred) or Verilog HDL.
• Familiarity with Xilinx Vivado or Intel/Altera Quartus tool flows.
• Experience with internal logic analyzers and digital simulation (Modelsim/Questa).
• Practical experience in static timing analysis, timing closure, and clock-domain crossing techniques.
• Experience with high-speed interfaces (SERDES, PCIe, DDR2/3/4, LVDS).
• Revision control experience (git, CVS, Clearcase, Subversion) and scripting for automation.
• Strong debugging, problem-solving, written and oral communication skills; self-starter and team player; ability to mentor others.

Preferred:

• DSP fundamentals and FPGA implementation experience; Matlab/Simulink.
• UVM/SystemVerilog, C/C++, radar systems, Video/IR processing, stepper motor control, and experience with legacy designs.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field is typical (posting specifies 6+ years of relevant experience with a bachelor’s degree; fewer years may be acceptable with an advanced degree). Advanced degree and/or equivalent practical experience may be considered.

About the Company

Company: BAE Systems

Headquarters: London, United Kingdom

Global defense, aerospace and security company delivering products and services for air, land and naval forces, advanced electronics, cyber and intelligence solutions, and space and mission systems for government and commercial customers.