Principal FPGA Engineer

Job Title

Principal FPGA Engineer

Role Summary

Senior engineering role responsible for architecting, implementing, verifying, and delivering complex FPGA-based systems for high-performance applications. The role provides technical leadership across hardware and software teams and drives FPGA architecture, design methodology, and production delivery.

Experience Level

Senior — 10+ years of professional FPGA design and development experience.

Responsibilities

Primary duties include end-to-end FPGA design, verification, integration, and technical leadership.

• Architect, design, and implement complex FPGA systems using Verilog or VHDL.
• Create and maintain system-level specifications and design documentation.
• Perform front-end design, synthesis, place-and-route, and timing closure for high-performance designs.
• Develop testbenches and verification strategies to ensure correctness and functionality.
• Integrate FPGA designs with hardware and software components in larger system architectures.
• Optimize designs for performance, power, and area constraints.
• Debug and validate designs on development boards and target hardware; troubleshoot complex issues.
• Work with high-speed interfaces such as PCIe, DDR, Ethernet, and SerDes.
• Provide technical leadership, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to architectural decisions.
• Engage with vendors and stakeholders and evaluate new technologies and tools.

Requirements

Core technical skills and experience required for successful performance in this role.

• 10+ years of professional FPGA design and development experience.
• Expertise in Verilog and/or VHDL.
• Proficiency with FPGA synthesis, place-and-route, and timing analysis tools (for example Vivado or Quartus).
• Experience with simulation and verification methodologies (for example SystemVerilog and UVM).
• Demonstrated experience with high-speed digital design and interface protocols (PCIe, DDR, Ethernet, SerDes).
• Experience with embedded system design and integration; ability to collaborate across HW and SW teams.
• Familiarity with scripting for automation (Python, Tcl, Perl).
• Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills; able to validate designs on hardware.
• Proven ability to lead technical efforts, mentor team members, and manage multiple projects.
• Strong communication skills and experience working in distributed teams.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with Altera/Intel or Xilinx FPGA toolchains and devices.
• Knowledge of signal integrity and power integrity principles.

Education Requirements

Master's or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

About the Company

Company: WhatJobs Direct

Recruitment and job-advertising arm associated with WhatJobs, providing job listing distribution and candidate sourcing services. Helps employers post vacancies and connect job seekers with opportunities across industries.