Staff Engineer

TN United Kingdom; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a Lead FPGA/Embedded-Systems Engineer to spearhead a talented team in developing cutting-edge hardware platforms. This role offers the opportunity to work at the forefront of embedded design, collaborating with software and board engineers to create high-quality FPGA designs. You'll be responsible for leading projects, mentoring junior engineers, and ensuring the successful delivery of designs that meet industry standards. Join a dynamic environment where your expertise will be challenged and expanded, working with advanced technologies and multifunctional teams to drive innovation in embedded systems.

Qualifications

• Strong technical leadership and project management skills are essential.
• Experience with FPGA design and synthesis tools is critical.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team in developing FPGA designs for new hardware platforms.
• Commission FPGA prototyping hardware and gather platform requirements.

Skills

Technical leadership

FPGA synthesis

TCL scripting

Python scripting

ASIC/SoC prototyping

Documentation skills

Problem-solving

Tools

Xilinx UltraScale(+) tools

Synplify tool chain

UNIX environment

Job description

We are looking for a Lead FPGA / Embedded-Systems Engineer to join Arm’s Hardware Platforms team working at the forefront of Arm based embedded design!

We are a multi-disciplinary team with software, FPGA and board design expertise delivering platforms internally and externally in support of Arm’s IP business model. This role will initially involve leading a small FPGA design team to validate a new FPGA hardware platform and develop reference design material.

Team crafts physical hardware development platforms based around Arm’s leading CPU and system IP products. These platforms are used for software development and IP validation activities both internally by Arm and externally by partners/customers.

You'll lead the team generating FPGA designs for interface enablement and validation as well as design for our upcoming platform. This work will be done in conjunction with software and boards engineers. Release material will include engineering flows with a strong focus on engineering efficiency.

Work will include RTL and implementation constraints with high-quality, clear, accurate documentation. Familiarity with RTL and document review processes is desirable. The successful candidate will be responsible for delivery of designs using techniques such as gated clock conversion and synthesizable models to build accurate representations of real-world systems.

Responsibilities:

• Commissioning of FPGA prototyping hardware including specification of peripheral hardware.
• Gathering platform requirements from key partners, ensuring these are implemented and where not possible/feasible providing mentorship and alternatives.
• Developing FPGA images targeting both our internal platforms and 3rd party platforms to demonstrate Arm’s latest IP products.
• Development of synthesizable IP to enable prototyping of technologies such as DDR and PCIe.
• Leading and mentoring a team of junior engineers.

Required Skills and Experience:

Strong technical leadership skills are important for this role, development of accurate project plans involving multiple teams and ensuring deliveries follow the agreed plan. Design automation is critical when constructing efficient design flows, you must possess strong scripting skills; TCL and Python skills would be advantageous.

• Technical leadership, driving large projects and supporting junior engineers.
• Detailed knowledge of FPGA synthesis and place & route tool flows.
• Demonstrate an understanding of ASIC/SoC prototyping, which features can and cannot be implemented in FPGA.
• Excellent written and spoken English; ability to write coherent documentation.

“Nice To Have” Skills and Experience:

• Strong RTL skills in either (System) Verilog or VHDL.
• Knowledge and expertise in debugging sophisticated designs in both simulation and hardware.
• A creative and structured approach to problem-solving.
• Working with the latest Xilinx UltraScale(+) devices and tools.
• Embedded software knowledge to test and debug designs.
• Experience of implementing high-speed IO interface standards.
• Use of Synplify tool chain for single FPGA implementations.
• Knowledge/Experience of implementation of DDR memory sub-systems.
• Programming languages such as: assembly language (ideally Arm assembler), higher-level (C), object-oriented (C++).
• Use of a UNIX environment and shell programming/scripting in Tcl, Perl, Python etc.
• Use of emulation hardware to test pre-silicon designs.
• A desire for learning and self-improvement.

In Return:

You will expand your expertise, be challenged and work with advancing technologies. Working alongside many other engineering teams including software, SoC implementation and verification you will be involved in deep technical discussions, working with top class multifunctional engineering teams. Utilising your experience and skills to encourage collaboration with external ODMs, contractors, building links and partnerships.