Principal FPGA Engineer

Job Title

Principal FPGA Engineer

Role Summary

Lead design and delivery of FPGA-based solutions for defense systems, including VITA/VPX modules and custom form-factor boards. This is a senior, hands-on engineering role responsible for FPGA architecture, HDL implementation, verification, prototype bring-up, production release, and mentoring junior engineers while coordinating cross-functional teams.

Experience Level

Senior — typically requires 10+ years of FPGA hardware development experience.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include:

• Lead FPGA architecture, RTL design, simulation, synthesis, timing closure, and bitstream generation.
• Develop detailed FPGA architectures and IP block specifications.
• Implement HDL (SystemVerilog, Verilog, or VHDL) and verify designs via simulation and hardware testing.
• Perform prototype board bring-up, lab testing, and debugging using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and integrated logic analyzers.
• Coordinate with program management, systems, electrical, software, test, and manufacturing teams from concept through production release.
• Participate in project planning, resource estimation, scheduling, and drive timely delivery of designs.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior FPGA engineers and lead FPGA design projects as needed.
• Support sustaining engineering and product transitions through environmental testing into production.

Requirements

Must-have skills and qualifications:

• 10+ years of FPGA hardware development experience, including high-speed or embedded applications at ~100/400 Gbps data rates.
• Strong understanding of the FPGA design flow: RTL design, simulation, synthesis, and timing closure.
• Proficiency in SystemVerilog, Verilog, or VHDL.
• Proven problem-solving and debugging skills with hands-on use of lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers).
• Experience leading projects and mentoring team members.
• US Citizenship required; active security clearance preferred.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with ModelSim/Questa, Xilinx ISE/Vivado, Vivado IP Integrator, Libero SoC, or Intel Quartus toolchains.
• Experience with Xilinx 7-Series, Zynq MPSoC, Versal Adaptive SoC, UltraScale+, or other FPGA platforms (AMD/Xilinx, Intel/Altera, Microchip).
• Embedded processor design and C software development experience.
• Board bring-up and debug (integrated logic analyzers, ChipScope), high-speed digital design and signal integrity knowledge.
• TCL or other automation scripting; FPGA resource and power estimation tools.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field is required. An advanced degree is a plus.

About the Company

Company: Curtiss-Wright

Headquarters: Davidson, NC, United States

Curtiss-Wright is an engineering company that designs and manufactures products and services for the aerospace, defense, and industrial markets, specializing in embedded computing, avionics, and naval systems with a focus on modular open-systems solutions.