Senior PLD/ FPGA Engineer

BAE Systems - UK; Rochester; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense contractor based in Rochester is seeking a Senior PLD/FPGA Engineer to provide technical expertise in PLD/FPGA development, from requirements through design and verification. The ideal candidate should have a degree in electronics engineering and proven experience with FPGA technologies. The position features a competitive salary of up to £65,000 and extensive benefits including employee share plans and flexible health benefits. Closing date for applications is 6th January 2026.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible health benefits

Shopping discounts

Qualifications

• Proven knowledge of FPGA technologies, development tools, and techniques.
• Experience of working in an FPGA development team.
• Experience in digital hardware design for FPGA using VHDL.

Responsibilities

• Providing technical expertise in the development and delivery of PLD/FPGA development.
• Managing own tasks and the tasks of others within schedules and budgets.
• Coaching and developing the skills of junior team members.

Skills

FPGA technologies

VHDL

Digital hardware design

Coaching and mentoring

Education

Degree/HND in electronics engineering

Job description

Job Title: Senior PLD/ FPGA Engineer

Location: Rochester

Salary: Up to £65,000 depending on skills and experience

What you’ll be doing:

• Providing technical expertise in the development and delivery of PLD/FPGA development, from requirements development, concept and detailed design, coding VHDL, synthesis and through to complete verification
• Understanding of PLD/FPGA design constraints & impacts on other engineering disciplines
• Managing own tasks & the tasks of others within schedules and budgets to meet programme needs
• Delivering design artefacts in support of company standards
• Coaching & developing the skills of junior team members

Your skills and experiences:

Essential:

• Degree/HND in electronics engineering or an equivalent qualification
• Proven knowledge of FPGA technologies, development tools and techniques
• Experience of working in an FPGA development team

Desirable:

• Experience of digital hardware design for FPGA using VHDL
• Experience and knowledge of video processing and control law algorithms
• Working knowledge and experience of UVM (Universal Verification Methodology) constrained random verification

Benefits:

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts - you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The PLD/FPGA Engineering team:

As a Senior PLD/ FPGA Engineer, you will be a member of a dedicated team of experts responsible for the design and verification of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). You will develop digital and mixed-signal electronic solutions for products such as augmented reality displays, head-up displays, mission computers, fly-by-wire flight controls, active inceptors, and other associated safety-critical technology.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 6th January 2026

Application Information:

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.