Junior FPGA Engineer Electronic Warfare (All Genders)

STARK; Berlin; On-site; EUR 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

STARK Defence in Berlin seeks a Junior FPGA Engineer to join the Electronic Warfare team. You will help develop high‑speed digital logic, design, implement and test FPGA solutions that process signals in real time on autonomous platforms.

Ideal for a motivated engineer ready to move from simulation to hardware, working with senior mentors to bridge DSP theory and hardware realization.

Qualifications

• 0–2 years of experience or internships in FPGA/ HW projects.
• Strong understanding of digital design and SDR/ signal processing basics.
• Experience with HDL, HDL tools, and lab debugging preferred.

Responsibilities

• RTL design and maintenance of high‑speed digital logic using VHDL/Verilog/SystemVerilog.
• Create testbenches and run functional simulations to validate designs.
• Hardware debugging with oscilloscopes and logic analyzers in lab.
• Collaborate with Electronics and Software teams on FPGA interfaces.
• Integrate and configure IP cores and high‑speed ADC/DAC interfaces.
• Maintain design specs, registers, and HDL repositories.

Skills

VHDL

Verilog

SystemVerilog

Vivado

Quartus

DSP basics

ModelSim

Questa

AXI

SPI

I2C

UART

Python

C/C++

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical/ Electronics/ Computer Engineering

Tools

Xilinx Vivado

Intel Quartus

Job description

At Stark, we forge the future of European and national security through cutting-edge, AI-driven technology and unmatched engineering precision. As a premier defence technology company, our mission is clear: to equip NATO Allies and their partners with next-generation autonomous defence platforms and advanced AI-driven software built to perform in the world’s most demanding environments.

Why Join Us?

• The software and systems you work on directly protect personnel and defend European and national sovereignty.
• You will work alongside industry-leading minds on autonomous systems, advanced propulsion, and secure cyber platforms.
• We foster a fast-paced, collaborative environment where bold ideas are supported by serious R&D backing.

About The Team

STARK's Electronic Warfare team is a systems-focussed engineering group delivering software-defined, mass-scalable RF solutions for autonomous systems. Combining deep domain expertise in hardware board design, thermal/ structural packaging, real-time C++ signal processing, and resilient directional mesh networking, we rapidly build field advanced EW capabilities designed to survive and operate in contested spectrum environments.

Your Mission

As a Junior FPGA Engineer, you will join our specialized hardware team to develop the high-speed digital logic that powers our autonomous platforms. You will be responsible for designing, implementing, and testing FPGA-based solutions that process complex signals in real-time.

This role is ideal for a high-potential engineer who wants to move beyond simulation and see their code interact with the physical world. You will work closely with senior mentors to bridge the gap between digital signal processing theory and hardware realisation.

Responsibilities

We are looking for candidates with experience in some or all of the following areas:

• RTL Design: Develop and maintain high-speed digital logic using VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog.
• Verification: Create testbenches and run functional simulations to validate design behavior.
• Hardware Debugging: Use lab equipment (Oscilloscopes, Logic Analyzers) and on-chip debugging tools (ILA/Signal Tap) to troubleshoot physical hardware.
• Integration: Collaborate with Electronics and Software teams to define FPGA pinouts, review schematics, and develop interface APIs.
• IP Management: Integrate and configure third-party IP cores and interface with high-speed ADCs/DACs.
• Documentation: Maintain clear design specifications, register maps, and version-controlled HDL repositories.

Required Skills

• Proficiency in VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog.
• Experience with FPGA vendor tools (e.g., Xilinx Vivado or Intel Quartus).
• Understanding of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) fundamentals.
• Basic experience with simulation tools (e.g., ModelSim, Questa).
• Familiarity with common hardware interfaces (AXI, SPI, I2C, UART).
• Competency in Python or C/C++ for scripting and testing support.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical, Electronic, or Computer Engineering.
• 0-2 years of experience (relevant internships or personal hardware projects are highly valued).
• You have a deep desire to understand how things work at the register level.
• You enjoy the "puzzle" of hardware debugging and timing closure.
• You can explain your logic design clearly to both software and hardware teams.

Nice-To-Have

• Knowledge of System-on-Chip (SoC) architectures (e.g., Zynq).
• Familiarity with Linux-based development environments.
• Interest in software-defined radio (SDR) architectures.

Equal Opportunity

At Stark Defence, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and high-performing team. We operate in an industry where women, as well as other minority groups, are systematically under-represented. We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and identities.

If you are excited about this role, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the listed qualifications—ability and impact cannot be summarised in a few bullet points. We value unique perspectives, adaptability, and a drive to solve high-stakes challenges.

Security Clearance

Due to the nature of our work in the defence sector, candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance required for this position. Details will be provided during the recruitment process.