FPGA Engineer

Arquimea; Madrid; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

ARQUIMEA, a technology company with global operations, seeks an experienced FPGA Design Engineer to develop and verify digital hardware for embedded systems in space and defense programs. You will define architectures for SoCs and FPGA IPs, perform front-end RTL design and verification, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure performance, reliability, and compliance with standards.

The role requires a strong background in HDL design, FPGA tools, and verification, with English

Qualifications

• Solid background in digital circuit design and FPGA-based systems.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in digital hardware/FPGA design, preferably in space, aerospace, or defense.
• Proficient in English; Spanish is a plus.
• Eligible to work in the EU and able to travel to the US when required.
• Eligible to obtain a security clearance from Spanish authorities.

Responsibilities

• Develop FPGA IP cores, ASICs, and standard ICs for space and defense programs.
• Define architecture of digital ICs, SoCs and FPGA IPs with trade-offs.
• Front-end RTL design and verification from requirements to sign-off.
• Model and simulate complete solutions to optimize digital circuits.
• Plan, execute and document verification, testing, and debugging on FPGA prototypes.
• Coordinate with validation and test teams during bring-up and qualification of ICs and IP blocks.
• Create and maintain technical and project documentation.
• Lead design reviews and analyze alternative technical solutions.

Skills

HDL design

FPGA design

Verification

ARM/RISC-V/MicroBlaze

Git

C/Assembly

Education

Electrical/Electronic Engineering degree

Master’s/PhD valued

Tools

Xilinx Vivado

HDL Author

ModelSim/Questa

Synopsys/Cadence tools

Job description

ARQUIMEA, we are a technology company operating globally, offering innovative solutions and products in highly demanding sectors.

Our main areas of activity are Aerospace, Defense & Security, Big Science, and Fintech.

We are looking for a FPGA Design Engineer with solid experience in the design and verification of digital circuits for FPGAs, ASICs and SoC devices.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the specification, architecture, implementation and verification of digital hardware for embedded systems in space and defense applications, ensuring performance, reliability and compliance with applicable standards.

Main Functions

• Work in a multidisciplinary team developing FPGA IP cores, ASICs, standard ICs and associated software for space and defense programs.

• Define the architecture of digital integrated circuits, Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) and FPGA IPs, including feasibility analyses and design trade-offs.

• Perform front-end design and verification of digital microelectronic modules at RTL level, from requirements capture to sign-off.

• Model and simulate complete solutions to evaluate and optimize digital circuits.

• Plan, execute and document verification, testing and debugging activities on FPGA prototypes.

• Participate in the analysis and specification of digital subsystems and lead or contribute to design reviews.

• Collaborate with validation and test teams during bring-up and qualification of ICs and IP blocks.

• Define the FW/SW architecture for SoCs embedded in FPGAs and coordinate its integration with the digital hardware.

• Create and maintain clear, accurate and comprehensive technical and project documentation.

• Analyze alternative technical solutions using quantitative metrics and support technical decision-making

Education and Required Competencies

• Degree in Electrical / Electronic Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering or Physics.

• Master’s degree and/or PhD in a related field will be valued.

• Solid academic background in digital circuit design and FPGA-based systems.

• At least 5 years of professional experience in digital hardware / FPGA design, preferably in space, aerospace, defense or other high-reliability sectors.

• Proficient in English (written and spoken). Spanish is a plus.

• Open-minded and ready to be challenged in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary and multinational environment.

• Eligible to work in the EU and able to travel to the US when required.

• Eligible to obtain a security clearance from the Spanish Ministry of Defense.

Specific Knowledge and Skills

• Solid experience in HDL front-end design (VHDL and/or Verilog).

• Hands-on experience with FPGA design tools (e.g. Xilinx Vivado; HDL Author or similar).

• Strong understanding of digital design principles, including logic design, state machines and data paths.

• Proficiency in using simulation and verification tools to evaluate digital designs (e.g. ModelSim, Questa).

• Strong background in verification activities (testbenches, functional coverage, regression testing, etc.).

• Knowledge of computer architectures for SoC integration, in particular ARM, RISC-V and MicroBlaze.

• Experience preparing specifications and test plans for FPGAs, including architecture design and functional allocation between software and FPGAs.

• Experience with revision control tools (e.g. Git).

• Knowledge of MIL-STD and ECSS standards applicable to firmware/software development

Preferred Additional Experience

• Experience in digital ASIC design.

• Work experience with Matlab and/or other high-level modelling languages.

• Experience or knowledge in cryptographic implementations and hardware security, including side-channel analysis and/or fault-injection techniques.

• Experience automating unit, integration and HIL testing and setting up CI/CD pipelines.

• Hands-on experience with laboratory electronic hardware and instrumentation.

• Experience in back-end / physical design of digital ASICs and FPGAs, including Synopsys and/or Cadence digital implementation tools.

• Hands-on experience in embedded processor programming (C and assembly).

• Experience with communication interfaces such as Ethernet, MIL-STD-1553, CAN and SpaceWire.

• Experience in reliability and radiation-effects mitigation techniques for space applications.

• Ability to lead a small technical team or work package when needed

The position is based at our offices in Madrid city, located at Calle Serrano Galvache, 56.

We are looking for curious, creative, determined, and collaborative people — individuals who are eager to make things happen and unafraid to take on challenges that contribute to improving the society we live in.

Think Big, Do the Job & Enjoy Life

En ARQUIMEA valoramos la diversidad y la inclusión. No discriminamos por motivos de raza, color, religión, género, orientación sexual, identidad de género, nacionalidad, edad, discapacidad u otros factores protegidos por la ley. Todos los candidatos serán considerados en igualdad de condiciones en base a sus habilidades y experiencia.