Firmware Engineer

DECTRIS is a successful and expanding high-tech company that develops and produces X-ray and electron detectors. Our detectors are used worldwide in large-scale research facilities and in industry. Their unique properties enable scientific breakthroughs in life sciences and material sciences. Our more than 170 employees are located in Switzerland, the United States, and Japan. At DECTRIS, we combine innovation and development with agile industry practices. As a spin-off of the Paul Scherrer Institute and by focusing on the needs of our customers, we are able to combine scientific excellence with qualified service and industrial know-how.
Our scientists as well as our technical and commercial experts ensure that our customers benefit from the latest technologies.
DECTRIS values collaborative working rather than traditional hierarchy and is guided by the principles of Sociocracy 3.0.

We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled FPGA/SoC Engineer with a strong background in VHDL and embedded C development to join our engineering team. Ideally, you are also experienced in embedded Linux operating systems. In this role, you will be responsible for designing, implementing, and verifying FPGA and SoC-based systems that are critical to our products and services. You will work closely with a cross-functional team to develop high-performance, scalable, and reliable solutions.

Firmware Engineer

Your Tasks

• Design and implement FPGA/SoC solutions, including architectural concepts, simulation and validation
• Collaborate with hardware and software engineers to ensure seamless system integration
• Provide technical leadership in FPGA/SoC design best practices and methodologies
• Stay updated with the latest technologies and trends in FPGA/SoC development and embedded systems
• If experienced, develop and integrate embedded Linux drivers and applications for custom FPGA/SoC platforms

Your Skills

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• Proficient in VHDL and FPGA/SoC development tools (preferably AMD/Xilinx Vivado and Vitis)
• Experience with self-checking verification, ideally based on Cocotb/Python
• Experience with C/C++ for embedded systems (SoC, Microblaze)
• Familiarity with version control systems and CI/CD practices
• Ideally experience with embedded Linux operating systems (preferably Yocto), including bootloader and kernel (device tree, driver development)
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Strong communication and teamwork skills

We Offer

• A successful and growing high tech company in an international, scientific environment
• Joining the global leader in HPC X-ray detectors for science and industry. Our Developers design cutting-edge detectors to support the state of the art science and technology
• An international work environment formed by more than 170 experienced engineers, scientists, and other professionals. The company languages are German and English
• Excellent, flexible working arrangements to enable professional development and personal life balance
• An attractive working environment: modern infrastructure with wheelchair-accessible rooms, small fitness room, underground car park, subsidised meals, free snacks and drinks, various company events, internal and external training, home office options, after-work beers, and other joint leisure activities

In our small team, we develop the firmware and embedded software for conventional FPGAs as well as SoCs for all our products. High data rates (>100 Gbit/s) and fast image processing are some of the challenges involved. We build the firmware modularly using our own building blocks so that synergies between the platforms can be used in the best possible way and new products can be served quickly. We strive to provide bug fixes and feature upgrades over the entire life cycle of a platform, using proven CI/CD methodologies.
If you would like to become part of our dynamic and self-organized team and help shape our products with your ideas and visions, we look forward to getting to know you personally.