Principal FPGA/Firmware Engineer
CACI InternationalJob Title
Principal FPGA/Firmware Engineer
Role Summary
Lead architecture, design, and delivery of FPGA, firmware, and PCB subsystems for high-performance RF and baseband products. Serve as technical lead across hardware, firmware, and system integration efforts and mentor mid-level and junior engineers.
Position is based in Colorado Springs, CO with a hybrid work arrangement.
Experience Level
Senior — requires substantial experience (posting specifies 10+ years of FPGA/firmware engineering experience).
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include hands-on design, technical leadership, and system verification.
- Lead architecture, design, and implementation of FPGA and firmware across multiple product lines.
- Serve as technical lead for design reviews, system integration, and hardware/firmware decisions.
- Mentor and guide mid-level and junior engineers; promote engineering best practices.
- Architect high-performance FPGA systems: DSP pipelines, memory interfaces, and high-speed data paths.
- Participate in PCB schematic development, component selection, and cross-functional integration.
- Lead design verification and validation including test plans, simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop workflows.
- Engage with customers to translate mission needs into system and FPGA/firmware architectures.
- Drive continuous improvement of processes and reusable design methodologies; communicate progress to stakeholders and leadership.
Requirements
Must-have technical skills, security, and experience.
Must-have:
- 10+ years of FPGA/firmware engineering experience.
- US Citizenship (required).
- Expertise in VHDL/Verilog for complex, high-performance FPGA architectures.
- Mastery of FPGA simulation and verification (including constrained-random and coverage-driven methods).
- Experience with FPGA implementation, timing closure, and hardware validation.
- Practical RF lab skills (spectrum analyzers, VNAs, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, RF test fixtures).
- Experience leading PCB architecture, schematic design, and design reviews.
- Fluency with high-speed interfaces: PCIe, Ethernet, SERDES, LVDS, JESD204.
- Proficiency with Python, TCL, and MATLAB for FPGA automation and analysis.
- Ability to define and lead system-level hardware/firmware architectures and to obtain/maintain a security clearance.
Nice-to-have:
- Embedded C/C++ development experience for microcontrollers, SoCs, or soft-core processors.
- Strong DSP background and experience optimizing processing pipelines.
- Experience with Xilinx Ultrascale, RFSoC, and MPSoC platforms.
- Experience leading customer technical discussions, proposals, or space/satellite communications systems.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical field is required. The posting specifies significant practical experience (10+ years) in FPGA/firmware engineering and notes the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.
About the Company
Company: CACI International
Headquarters: Arlington, VA, United States
Provides information solutions and services to U.S. government and commercial customers, specializing in intelligence, defense, cybersecurity, enterprise IT, and engineering to support national security, federal civilian agencies, and mission-focused technology programs.
