Solution Validation Engineer — FPGA/SoC

Job Title

Solution Validation Engineer — FPGA/SoC

Role Summary

Work on hardware/software co-design solutions for FPGA-based systems spanning networking, storage, automotive, aerospace, and AI/ML workloads. The role covers design, integration, bring-up, pre- and post-silicon validation of FPGA solutions and associated embedded software.

This position is based in San Jose, CA. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Experience Level

Senior — typically 8+ years of hands-on FPGA design and system validation experience.

Responsibilities

Deliver system-level FPGA solutions from architecture through product validation and support.

• Participate across the product lifecycle: exploration, architecture, implementation, prototyping, validation, productization, and support.
• Design, verify, and validate RTL (SystemVerilog/Verilog/VHDL) focused on data and control paths.
• Develop firmware and low-level software for on-chip ARM Cortex (APU/RPU) or RISC-V cores; build/customize embedded Linux images (Yocto).
• Integrate custom IPs into AMD (Xilinx) Vivado and Vitis flows; bring up bare-metal and Linux systems.
• Run pre-silicon verification and emulation to validate functionality and performance.
• Perform board bring-up from first power-on to a stable validated platform; create bench setups and bring-up scripts.
• Execute post-silicon validation and debug interactions between software, hard/soft IPs, and FPGA fabric.
• Collaborate with architects, hardware, and firmware teams to scope features and resolve cross-domain issues.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and practical experience required to perform the role.

• Extensive FPGA design and hands-on experience (SystemVerilog/Verilog and/or VHDL); strong Vivado proficiency.
• Deep understanding of clocking, CDC, multi-clock systems, timing closure, XDC/SDC constraints, and static timing analysis.
• Proven board bring-up and hardware debug experience (ILA, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers) from power-on to interface validation.
• Experience with high-speed interfaces such as PCIe, Ethernet, DDR5/6, SerDes, UFS, HDMI, MIPI and common peripheral buses (SPI, I2C, UART).
• Embedded software skills: C/C++ for bare-metal programming on ARM/RISC-V; Yocto-based embedded Linux flows (BSPs, device trees, custom recipes/layers).
• Familiarity with SystemVerilog testbenches, scripted/CI builds, automated regression, linting, and structured FPGA workflows (Python, Tcl, Makefiles, Shell, Git).
• Strong analytical/problem-solving skills, ownership, communication, and experience mentoring or running design/RTL/verification reviews.

Nice-to-have:

• Linux kernel driver development experience.
• Experience with deterministic real-time, low-latency/high-throughput system design.
• Experience with PCIe Gen6/Gen7 and advanced high-speed interface tuning.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related technical field.

About the Company

Company: Advanced Micro Devices

Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California, USA

Advanced Micro Devices, or AMD, is a global semiconductor company that designs and manufactures microprocessors, graphics processors, and related technologies for a variety of computing devices. Known for pushing the boundaries of innovation, AMD's mission is to deliver high-performance computing solutions for AI, data centers, gaming, and embedded applications. They foster a collaborative, inclusive culture focused on creativity and problem-solving, aiming to drive progress and excellence in technology.