Principal FPGA Engineer

Job Title

Principal FPGA Engineer

Role Summary

Senior technical lead responsible for designing and delivering FPGA-based solutions for DoD secure products, including VITA-standard VPX modules and custom circuit cards. The role is hands-on and requires collaboration with cross-functional engineering teams throughout concept, development, verification, and production release.

Experience Level

Senior — 10+ years of FPGA hardware development experience expected.

Responsibilities

Lead and execute FPGA architecture and implementation for defense-focused products; mentor junior engineers and coordinate across the integrated product team.

• Define FPGA architecture and detailed specifications for IP blocks and system-level FPGA solutions.
• Drive FPGA development from concept through RTL coding, simulation, synthesis, place-and-route, and bitstream generation.
• Develop and verify HDL (SystemVerilog/Verilog/VHDL); create and run testbenches and simulations.
• Perform hardware bring-up, prototype build, lab testing, debugging, and validation.
• Provide technical leadership on timing closure, resource and power estimation, and high-speed digital signal integrity considerations.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior FPGA and hardware engineers.
• Support project planning, scheduling, resource estimation, and production transition; participate in sustaining engineering as needed.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, security and candidate criteria.

• 10+ years of FPGA hardware development, including high-speed or embedded applications.
• Proven RTL design skills using SystemVerilog, Verilog, or VHDL and experience with simulation, synthesis, and timing closure.
• Hands-on debugging and lab experience with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and hardware test equipment.
• Experience with FPGA toolflows (simulation, synthesis, place-and-route) and IP integration workflows.
• Experience with board bring-up, prototype testing, and hardware validation.
• Demonstrated leadership or project lead experience and ability to mentor junior engineers.
• US Citizenship is mandatory; active security clearance is preferred.
• Familiarity with high-speed serial interfaces, signal integrity, and related IP is desirable.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field is required. An advanced degree (MS/PhD) is a plus. The posting does not specify alternative "equivalent experience" language beyond the stated experience requirements.

About the Company

Company: Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions is a division of Curtiss-Wright that designs and delivers defense and aerospace electronics and embedded computing products, including VPX modules, secure FPGA-based solutions, and system-level components for military platforms and communications.