Senior FPGA Engineer

Cambridge Aerospace; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation and stock | £

Private Medical & Dental

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

Cambridge Aerospace is seeking a Senior FPGA Engineer to take technical ownership of complex FPGA‑based designs, from architecture through verification and hardware bring‑up. You will be hands‑on in Verilog, simulation and debugging, delivering robust RTL and setting high verification standards.

You will mentor junior engineers and collaborate with hardware, RF and embedded software teams to ensure clean integration of high‑speed digital systems.

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of Clock-domain crossing and reset strategies.
• Pipelined architectures and timing closure.
• FSM design, datapaths, and control logic.
• Experience with modern FPGA tools (Xilinx Vivado; Intel Quartus).
• Design and implementation of DSP blocks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture, design, and implementation of FPGA solutions using Verilog HDL
• Translate system‑level requirements into clear, maintainable RTL architectures
• Own complete design blocks from concept through to deployed hardware
• Review and guide Verilog written by other engineers, setting best practices
• Define and contribute to verification strategies, including self‑checking testbenches
• Support FPGA bring‑up, debugging and performance validation on real hardware
• Work closely with hardware, RF, and embedded software teams to ensure clean integration
• Contribute to technical planning and risk reduction for future designs
• Provide technical mentorship to junior and mid‑level engineers

Skills

Clock-domain crossing

Pipelined architectures

FSM design

RTL debugging

Verilog HDL

Tools

Xilinx Vivado

Intel Quartus

Job description

We are looking for a Senior FPGA Engineer to take technical ownership of complex FPGA‑based designs, from early architecture through implementation, verification, and hardware bring‑up. This role is suited to an experienced engineer who is comfortable making system‑level design decisions, mentoring others, and delivering robust, production‑ready RTL, while remaining actively hands‑on in Verilog, simulation, and debugging. You will work on high‑performance digital systems, potentially interfacing with RF, mixed‑signal, or high‑speed domains, and will play a key role in setting design quality and verification standards within the team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture, design, and implementation of FPGA solutions using Verilog HDL
• Translate system‑level requirements into clear, maintainable RTL architectures
• Own complete design blocks from concept through to deployed hardware
• Review and guide Verilog written by other engineers, setting best practices
• Define and contribute to verification strategies, including self‑checking testbenches
• Support FPGA bring‑up, debugging and performance validation on real hardware
• Work closely with hardware, RF, and embedded software teams to ensure clean integration
• Contribute to technical planning and risk reduction for future designs Provide technical mentorship to junior and mid‑level engineers

Requirements

• Deep understanding of Clock‑domain crossing and reset strategies
• Pipelined architectures and timing closure
• FSM design, datapaths, and control logic
• Experience with modern FPGA tools (e.g. Xilinx Vivado; Intel Quartus)
• Confidence debugging across RTL, simulation and hardware Design and implementation of DSP blocks

Nice to have

• Experience with RF or mixed‑signal systems ADCs/DACs, clocking architectures, JESD‑style interfaces
• Digital modulation concepts
• Familiarity with Linux/device tree configuration
• Experience with Python‑based verification
• Familiarity with high‑speed or SoC‑based FPGA platforms
• Hands‑on lab experience with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers and RF test equipment

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation and stock options
• Private Medical & Dental
• Cycle to work scheme

About Us

The mission of Cambridge Aerospace is to eliminate the risk of existential war in Europe. That risk comes from the air – low-cost drones and cruise missiles now manufactured in colossal volumes by our adversaries, ballistic missiles capable of ending the world as we know it, and a new generation of hypersonic weapons that evade every existing defence.

We’re building low-cost interceptors that defeat these threats, and the surveillance systems to detect and target them – at a cost taxpayers can afford, at the pace the threat demands, and with sovereign supply chains that assure delivery.

We have immense backing from the world’s best venture funds. We’re one of the fastest growing defence technology companies in history. And we’re hiring the best engineers to prosecute the mission.

If you are in the top 1%, willing to work harder than you ever have, build technology better than anyone else, and contribute to the defining challenge of our time, now is the time to join us.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.