Principal FPGA Engineer

Job Title

Principal FPGA Engineer

Role Summary

Senior individual contributor responsible for defining, developing, reviewing, and maintaining FPGA architectures and HDL code for medical diagnostic products. Works with hardware and software teams to integrate FPGA designs into system architectures, support verification and validation, and deliver production releases.

Experience Level

Senior level. The posting requests approximately 12 years of product development or relevant experience, or 8–10 years for candidates with advanced degrees.

Responsibilities

Accountable for FPGA design, verification, integration, release, and related technical leadership for a project or product line.

• Lead design, architecture, and implementation of FPGA solutions and HDL code.
• Plan, perform, and prioritize complex tasks for FPGA architecture, coding, verification, and system integration.
• Develop and review HDL code; ensure design quality, reuse, and maintainability.
• Define interfaces and collaborate with hardware and software teams for system-level integration and debugging.
• Perform design trade-offs, data analysis, and identify product defects; document impacts and next steps.
• Support development of test methods, specifications, and technical documentation.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring; support CAPA and complaint investigations as needed.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, domain experience, and working behaviors.

• Extensive hands-on experience with FPGA architecture and HDL development (VHDL/Verilog inferred).
• Experience with FPGA design verification and validation methodologies.
• Proven ability to integrate FPGA designs into system architectures and perform system-level debugging.
• Strong problem-solving skills: root cause analysis, statistical analysis, and trade-off evaluation.
• Ability to produce technical documentation, presentations, and reports for multidisciplinary teams.
• Leadership and mentoring experience; able to lead technically without formal authority.
• Experience in regulated product development (in vitro medical device experience) is highly desired.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, or a related field is required. The posting allows advanced degrees (Master's/PhD) and specifies reduced experience expectations for advanced degrees (8–10 years). Equivalent practical experience may be considered in lieu of formal education where applicable.

About the Company

Company: Werfen

Headquarters: Barcelona, Spain

Werfen is a family-owned global diagnostics company founded in 1966 in Barcelona, Spain. It develops and manufactures specialized diagnostic systems, assays, and OEM biomaterials for hemostasis, acute care, transfusion, autoimmunity, and transplant markets, operating directly in 30+ countries and through distributors in 100+ territories with around 7,000 employees.