Principal FPGA (VHDL) Design Engineer (Sign on Bonus Available)

Job Description Are you looking for an exciting career that utilizes your boundless creativity, technical innovation, and design skills? “We Protect Those Who Protect Us®” is our mission, and we’re looking for engineers who share our passion in developing first-of-its-kind technologies and equipment to protect our warfighters on all fronts, spanning air, land, sea, and space.

From our Austin Texas location, BAE Systems Countermeasure & Electromagnetic Attack Solutions is seeking a talented and motivated Principal FPGA Digital Design Engineer who wants to join an organization where teamwork is highly valued. You will play a vital role in using the latest FPGA technology to develop cutting-edge products, and your contributions will directly impact the performance and reliability of systems protecting our national interests. You won’t just execute designs; you will architect solutions that are critical to our products.

BAE Systems is committed to employee development. We believe in understanding your career aspirations and providing opportunities to align your skills and interests with challenging projects and future roles – you have opportunities to grow into leadership positions, specialize in specific FPGA technologies, or explore related engineering disciplines.

We are looking for candidates who are detail-oriented, possess strong analytical skills, and have a passion for continuous improvement. You will be responsible for ensuring the performance, quality, and reliability of electronic products through rigorous design, analysis, and testing. In addition, the ideal candidate has experience with, and is a strong advocate of, Agile hardware development, risk-reduction prototyping, and requirements-driven design and verification.

In this Principal FPGA Engineering position, you will lead FPGA designs through all phases of development. This includes design architecture, ownership of VHDL RTL coding, synthesis, place and route, timing closure, collaboration on advanced verification strategies, develop test-benches, lab testing, product support and FPGA security.

So apply today and join us for an engineering career full of technical challenges, diversity, and satisfaction and see for yourself why our employees proudly average more than 12 years of service!

Typical duties assigned to this position:
- Support design and troubleshooting of digital, analog, mixed signal, and power CCAs for military electronics/avionics equipment
- Participate in requirements development, performing technical trade studies, and evaluating technology insertion/upgrades
- Support development architectures for electronic hardware that leverage embedded processors, microcontrollers, and VHDL based FPGAs/SoCs
- Develop and execute test plans, which includes the integration of test solutions, and provide detailed reports on test results
- Lead FPGA VHDL firmware design, development, integration/test, and production of complex and dynamic military systems
- Participating in new business capture
Required Education, Experience, & Skills
- Eligible to obtain a DOD Security Clearance
- 6+ years of relevant experience with bachelor’s degree
- A proven track record of mastering new architectures and a desire to continuously expand your technical horizon
- Experience in FPGA or ASIC Design / Development, including:
- VHDL (preferred) or Verilog HDL coding (e.g., Xilinx UltraScale+, RFSoC, Xilinx Vivado, PolarFire SoC, Libero)
- Strong debug and problem-solving skills
- Lab testing support
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Self-starter and highly collaborative team player
- Ability to mentor and willingness to be mentored
Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills The following skills and experiences are considered a plus, but they are not dealbreakers. If you are a motivated professional looking to expand your skill set, our team is committed to providing the mentorship and resources necessary to help you grow into this role
- Experience with DSP fundamentals and FPGA implementation
- Experience with Matlab/Simulink
- Experience dealing with legacy designs
- Working knowledge of UVM/SystemVerilog
- Working knowledge of data communications (Ethernet MAC, PHY, Gig-E vision)
- Working knowledge of C/C++
- Active DOD security clearance

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $118095 - $200762

Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics.
About BAE Systems, Inc. BAE Systems, Inc. is a defense, aerospace, and security company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with more than 40,000 employees worldwide. We serve, supply, and protect those who protect us. As one of the most geographically diverse international defense companies, we deliver a full range of products and services spanning air, land, maritime, space, and cyber, including advanced electronics, intelligence solutions, and dedicated customer support.

Our culture is performance-driven and values-led, built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. Purpose isn't a tagline here. It's what drives us. We're developing breakthrough technologies that defend national security and make a lasting impact on our communities and our planet. When you join BAE Systems, you're not just building a career. You're contributing to a mission that truly matters.

This position will be posted for at least 5 calendar days. The posting will remain active until the position is filled, or a qualified pool of candidates is identified.