Principal FPGA Engineer (f/m/d)

Job Title

Principal FPGA Engineer (f/m/d)

Role Summary

Senior FPGA engineering role within Secure Transactions & Interface (STI) focused on FPGA strategy, prototyping and system bring-up for mobile payment, security and UWB solutions. The role supports architecture, design, verification, validation, firmware and software teams and accelerates product development from prototype to silicon validation.

Work with cross-functional and geographically distributed teams to deliver FPGA-based prototyping platforms, debug complex designs, and document technical outcomes.

Experience Level

Senior — Principal level. The role requests 7+ years of FPGA and/or ASIC engineering experience.

Responsibilities

Accountabilities include defining FPGA strategy, building prototype platforms and supporting system-level bring-up and validation.

• Define and drive FPGA strategy, methodologies and design flows.
• Design, develop and deploy FPGA-based prototyping and verification platforms to support internal stakeholders.
• Perform FPGA design debugging and system bring-up using lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG, SWD, etc.).
• Implement and validate timing constraints (SDC) and achieve timing closure for high-speed designs.
• Collaborate with design, verification, validation, firmware and software teams to investigate issues and implement corrective actions or workarounds.
• Create and maintain technical documentation: user guides, defect reports, release notes and status updates.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of FPGA tools, flows and automation to increase development efficiency.
• Work on-site a minimum of three days per week and coordinate with global teams across multiple sites.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience required for immediate contribution; preferred items noted separately.

• Must-have: 7+ years of FPGA and/or ASIC engineering experience delivering complex semiconductor solutions.
• Must-have: RTL design expertise with SystemVerilog, Verilog and VHDL.
• Must-have: Hands-on experience with FPGA development and synthesis tools (e.g., Vivado, Synplify) and practical timing-closure experience using SDC constraints.
• Must-have: Proficiency with simulation/verification tools (ModelSim, VCS, Xcelium) and design-debug practices.
• Must-have: Practical embedded software development and debugging experience for CPU platforms.
• Must-have: Experience developing automation and build scripts using Bash, Python, Tcl, Perl or CMake.
• Must-have: Solid understanding of on-chip protocols (AHB, AXI, I2C, I3C, SPI) and hardware/software integration.
• Must-have: Hands-on hardware debugging skills using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers and relevant lab tools.
• Must-have: Strong verbal and written communication skills for cross-functional collaboration.
• Must-have: Willingness and ability to work on-site at least three days per week.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with Xilinx/AMD FPGA platforms (preferred), or Lattice/Altera experience.
• Nice-to-have: Familiarity with ChipScope or similar in-system debugging tools.

Education Requirements

Not specified.

About the Company

Company: NXP Semiconductors

Headquarters: Nijmegen, Netherlands

NXP Semiconductors N.V. is a global semiconductor company that provides High Performance Mixed Signal and Standard Product solutions. With over 45,000 employees and operations in more than 35 countries, NXP is a leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, catering to automotive, industrial IoT, mobile, and communication infrastructure markets. The company is committed to innovation and sustainability, advancing a smarter, safer, and more sustainable world through technology.