Field-Programmable Gate Arrays Engineer

Gattaca; St Leonards; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career progression and technical leadership

Support for professional development

Job summary

Gattaca is seeking FPGA/Firmware Engineers at Senior and Principal levels to join their engineering team in St Leonards, UK. This role offers the opportunity to work on firmware solutions in safety-critical systems, contributing to the full development lifecycle.

Candidates will leverage their skills in FPGA design and VHDL to influence design decisions and mentor peers. A competitive salary and benefits package are offered, along with support for professional development.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in FPGA design for complex systems.
• Strong proficiency in VHDL development.
• Experience with simulation and testbench creation.

Responsibilities

• Design, development, and verification of FPGA firmware.
• Lead design reviews across the development lifecycle.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders.

Skills

FPGA design and implementation

VHDL development

Simulation and verification

Xilinx toolchains (e.g. Vivado)

Working with 3rd party IP cores

DO-254 safety-critical standards

Video processing interfaces

Education

Degree in Electronics, Engineering, or related discipline

Tools

Xilinx Vivado

Microchip Libero

Job description

A leading technology organisation delivering advanced, mission-critical systems into highly regulated environments is seeking a FPGA/Firmware Engineers, at Senior and Principal level, to join its growing engineering team.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced engineer to work across the full development lifecycle, contributing to both existing platforms and next-generation programmes. The role offers exposure to complex, safety-critical systems where firmware plays a central role in overall system performance.

Candidates from defence, aerospace, automotive, rail, or other regulated industries are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Role

You will play a key role in delivering high-reliability firmware solutions, working within a multidisciplinary engineering team. This position offers the opportunity to influence design decisions, mentor others, and contribute to technical strategy.

Key responsibilities include:

• Design, development, and verification of FPGA firmware (primarily using VHDL)
• Working in accordance with safety-critical development standards (e.g. DO-254)
• Leading and contributing to design reviews across the development lifecycle
• Supporting system architecture definition, ensuring firmware integration is optimised
• Driving best practice in firmware engineering, verification, and documentation
• Collaborating with internal teams and external stakeholders to deliver project objectives

Key Skills & Experience

We are looking for engineers with strong technical depth and experience across FPGA development:

• Significant experience in FPGA design and implementation for complex systems
• Strong proficiency in VHDL development
• Experience with simulation, verification, and testbench creation
• Hands-on experience with Xilinx toolchains (e.g. Vivado)
• Experience integrating and working with 3rd party IP cores
• Familiarity with Microchip / Microsemi FPGA tools (e.g. Libero) is advantageous
• Understanding of requirements capture, estimation, and work package definition
• Experience working within or exposure to DO-254 or other safety-critical standards
• Any exposure to video processing, interfaces, or related standards is beneficial

About You

You will be a motivated and adaptable engineer who thrives in complex environments:

• Degree-qualified (or equivalent) in Electronics, Engineering, or a related discipline
• Proven experience in FPGA / firmware engineering within regulated or complex industries
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work on high-complexity technical challenges
• Comfortable leading technical activities and influencing stakeholders
• Excellent communication and team collaboration skills
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and commitment to delivery

Chartered Engineer status (or working towards it) is advantageous, but not essential.

What’s on Offer

• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge, safety-critical technology
• A collaborative and technically advanced engineering environment
• Clear path for career progression and technical leadership
• Support for professional development and accreditation
• Competitive salary and benefits package

Interested?

If you are an experienced FPGA / Firmware Engineer looking to take the next step in your career and work on meaningful, high-impact systems, we would love to hear from you.

Apply today or contact us for a confidential discussion