Senior Firmware Engineer

GTS Group Ltd; England; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

GTS Group Ltd is seeking a Senior Firmware Engineer to help design and deliver FPGA/SoC firmware for defence electronics. You’ll work across RF, DSP and hardware teams to translate high‑level concepts into robust FPGA implementations, from proof of concept to deployment. Experience in high‑speed interfaces and embedded Linux is highly valued.

You will contribute to verification and hardware tests, develop reusable IP, and drive efficient, reliable firmware solutions across complex systems.

Qualifications

• Significant FPGA and/or embedded firmware development experience.
• Experience integrating and debugging third‑party RTL.
• Experience with automated VHDL test benches and verification environments.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, verify and debug FPGA and SoC firmware.
• Integrate third‑party RTL components and develop reusable IP.
• Implement DSP algorithms and high‑speed interfaces (PCIe, JESD204B/C).
• Translate algorithms with RF/DSP teams into FPGA implementations.
• Create firmware for embedded processors and FPGA/SoC platforms.
• Develop test benches and verification environments; perform hardware testing.

Skills

FPGA development

VHDL

Embedded firmware

RTL debugging

DSP concepts

Tools

PCIe

JESD204B/C

OpenCPI

MATLAB/Simulink

Embedded Linux (PetaLinux/Yocto)

Job description

Senior Firmware Engineer | FPGA / VHDL | Defence Electronics

FPGA engineers with experience in high-speed digital processing don't often get the opportunity to work across such a broad range of advanced electronic systems.

My client is an established, R&D-led defence electronics business. Their products are deployed globally, supporting defence and security customers in some of the most demanding operational environments.

They're looking for a Senior Firmware Engineer to join their R&D team, developing FPGA and System-on-Chip (SoC) technology for a range of advanced electronic systems.

This is a hands-on development role, working on new products and technology demonstrators from initial concept through to design, verification and deployment.

You'll collaborate closely with RF, DSP, hardware and systems engineers, developing high-performance firmware for complex electronic applications.

What you'll do

• Design, develop, verify and debug FPGA and SoC-based firmware.
• Integrate and debug third-party RTL components.
• Develop reusable firmware components and IP.
• Implement digital interfaces and processing pipelines for high-performance RF systems.
• Develop and implement FPGA-based digital signal-processing algorithms.
• Work with RF and DSP engineers to translate algorithms into efficient FPGA implementations.
• Develop and integrate firmware for embedded processor and FPGA/SoC platforms.
• Work with high-speed digital interfaces, including PCIe and JESD204B/C.
• Develop automated VHDL test benches and verification environments.
• Perform simulation, functional verification and hardware-based testing.
• Diagnose complex technical issues across hardware, processor software and FPGA firmware.

What you'll bring

• Significant professional experience in FPGA and/or embedded firmware development.
• Experience integrating and debugging third-party RTL.
• Experience developing automated VHDL test benches and verification environments.
• Experience with FPGA-based digital signal processing.
• Understanding of FPGA architecture, timing, resource utilisation and high-speed data processing.
• Experience with high-speed digital interfaces such as PCIe, JESD204B/C or equivalent technologies.
• Experience debugging complete embedded systems across hardware and firmware.
• Strong problem-solving and technical communication skills.
• Ability to work alongside RF, hardware, DSP and systems engineering teams.
• Ability to obtain and maintain UK SC Security Clearance.

Nice to have

• AMD/Xilinx Zynq or other FPGA/SoC architectures.
• OpenCPI framework.
• Embedded Linux, PetaLinux or Yocto.
• Pipelined DSP and fixed-point algorithm implementation.
• High-speed ADC/DAC interfaces and RF data converters.
• MATLAB or Simulink.
• Experience with RF test equipment.
• Electronic Warfare, Electronic Countermeasures, Counter-UAS, radar or communications experience.
• Defence, aerospace or other security-critical engineering experience.
• Work on advanced FPGA technology with real-world defence and security applications.
• Develop high-performance systems involving RF, DSP and embedded technologies.
• Take ownership of firmware development from concept through to deployment.
• Work alongside a multidisciplinary team of specialist engineers.
• Be part of an R&D-focused business developing innovative technology for global customers.