Principal FPGA Engineer

Job Title

Principal FPGA Engineer

Role Summary

The Principal FPGA Engineer will lead FPGA architecture, design, verification, and delivery for defense-related electronics within the Multi-Product Power & Digital (MPD) department. The role provides technical leadership across FPGA-based systems used in radars, electronic warfare, missiles/effectors, and related products.

Work includes full lifecycle FPGA development from requirements and architecture through production support, leading small to medium engineering teams, and supporting customer and program needs.

Experience Level

Senior - typically requires a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include system-to-FPGA translation, hands-on design, verification, and technical leadership.

• Provide full lifecycle FPGA development for production-quality designs across major vendors and device families (AMD/Xilinx, Intel/Altera, Microchip/Microsemi).
• Translate system-level requirements into FPGA requirements and architectures; select parts and define interfaces and CONOPS.
• Design and implement VHDL/Verilog code for applications such as MGT serial interfaces, RF DSP, controls, data links, embedded processing, and processor interfaces.
• Verify designs using directed and constrained-random tests; track functional and code coverage; apply self-checking test techniques.
• Perform timing closure, clock-domain crossing and reset-domain analysis, and constraint development.
• Integrate and debug FPGA/ASIC hardware in the lab; lead system bring-up and troubleshooting.
• Define schedules, manage execution to budget and timeline, and identify/manage risks and opportunities.
• Create and maintain documentation: requirements, verification plans, user guides, and design reviews.
• Lead, coach, and mentor small to medium engineering teams; conduct technical reviews and represent the discipline to customers and stakeholders.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, clearance eligibility, and senior-level experience are listed below.

• Minimum ~8 years of relevant FPGA/ASIC engineering experience (design or verification).
• Hands-on FPGA/ASIC design or verification experience using VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog.
• Practical experience with AMD (Xilinx), Intel/Altera, and/or Microchip (Microsemi) devices and tools such as Vivado, Quartus Prime Pro, or Libero.
• Experience with lab integration, hardware debug, and system bring-up.
• Proven knowledge of timing closure, clock-domain crossing (CDC), reset-domain crossing, and constraint development.
• Experience with source code management, design reviews, and team-based code release processes.
• Ability to lead teams, communicate technical topics, and deliver to schedule and budget.
• U.S. citizenship is required and the candidate must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance; a DoD Secret clearance is required (active clearance expected/required per program).
• Ability to work onsite in McKinney, TX and to travel or attend in-person program activities as needed.

Nice-to-have:

• Advanced degree in Electrical Engineering or related STEM field (counts toward experience in some cases).
• Experience in radar or image processing, embedded systems with ARM/Microblaze/NIOS, gigabit/multi-gigabit transceivers, constrained-random/UVM verification, emulation platforms, HLS, or AI on FPGA (Vitis AI, FINN).
• Program management experience (Earned Value, Agile), production transition, proposal development, IP generation (patents/publications), and demonstrated mentorship.

Education Requirements

The posting specifies a STEM degree is typically required. It cites a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in addition to the degree requirement and notes that an advanced degree in Electrical Engineering or related STEM area is valued; a suitable degree may be counted as two years of work experience. Equivalent practical experience is implied through the experience-based requirements.

About the Company

Company: Raytheon Technologies

Headquarters: Arlington, VA, USA

Raytheon Technologies is an Aerospace and Defense company offering advanced systems and services for commercial, military, and government customers worldwide. Formed in 2020 from the merger of Raytheon Company and United Technologies Corporation, it operates through three major business units: Collins Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. The company specializes in delivering cutting-edge solutions across various fields including quantum physics, hypersonics, and cybersecurity.