Senior FPGA Engineer

S[&]T; Delft; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 84,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary

Flexible working

Annual company trip

Modern working environment

Job summary

S&T is seeking a Senior FPGA Engineer to join the Defence & Security team in Delft. You will own the FPGA firmware lifecycle from concept through validation, partnering with Systems Architects and Electronics Engineers on onboard processing platforms.

You will translate system requirements into FPGA architectures, develop radiation-tolerant firmware for space, and integrate high-speed interfaces for AI workloads. The role spans multiple disciplines in a high-tech environment.

Qualifications

• BSc or MSc in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years dedicated FPGA engineering experience with VHDL/FPGA design.
• Strong SystemVerilog testbench experience; hands-on Siemens Questa for sim/verification.

Responsibilities

• Lead FPGA engineering and mentoring; drive design reviews for quality and compliance.
• Translate system requirements into robust FPGA architectures and firmware.
• Develop, verify, and qualify radiation-tolerant FPGA firmware for space.
• Implement and integrate high-speed interfaces (Ethernet, SpaceFibre, PCIe).
• Design high-throughput data routing architectures with fault tolerance.
• Review PCB schematics and advise FPGA-related input to Electronics team.
• Develop FPGA interfaces/drivers for ML workloads and accelerators.

Skills

FPGA design

VHDL

SystemVerilog

C/C++

Python

CI/CD

Radiation-tolerant design

ML accelerators

PCB schematics

Education

BSc/MSc in EE

Tools

Siemens Questa

SpaceWire

SpaceFibre

Git

CMake

GCC

PCIe

Job description

We are currently looking for a Senior FPGA Engineer to join the Defence [&] Security team in Delft.

As Earth observation missions continue to demand higher-resolution sensors and increasingly intelligent payloads, the need for a new generation of onboard processing capabilities is growing rapidly. Processing data directly in space enables faster decision-making, reduces bandwidth requirements, and unlocks entirely new mission concepts. At S&T, we are developing the next generation of onboard processing platforms that combine high-performance electronics, advanced software, and AI to bring these enhanced capabilities into orbit as quickly as possible.

As a Senior FPGA Engineer, you will play a key role in developing our first-generation onboard computing platform. You will take ownership of the FPGA firmware development lifecycle, from initial concepts and architecture through implementation, integration, and validation.

You will collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams, including Systems Architects, Embedded Systems Engineers, Electronics Design Engineers, Space Systems Engineers, and Mechanical Engineers, to develop high-performance, reliable products for demanding environments.

This role offers the opportunity to work across multiple engineering disciplines, combine technologies into innovative solutions, and make a direct impact on the development of advanced products within a dynamic, high-tech organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead FPGA engineering by establishing efficient engineering processes and ways of working. Mentor and support junior and medior FPGA Engineers in their day-to-day activities and perform design reviews to ensure technical quality and compliance.
• Translate system-level requirements into robust FPGA architectures and firmware designs, including appropriate simulation and verification environments.
• Develop, verify, and qualify radiation-tolerant FPGA firmware for spacecraft applications.
• Implement and integrate high-speed communication interfaces and protocols, including Ethernet, SpaceFibre, and PCIe.
• Design and optimize 100+ Gbps data-routing architectures addressing cybersecurity, performance, and fault-tolerance requirements.
• Review PCB schematics and provide FPGA-related input to the Electronics Design Engineering team.
• Develop and optimize FPGA interfaces and drivers for machine-learning and algorithm accelerators, enabling efficient execution of AI and signal-processing workloads.

Requirements

• Education: A BSc or MSc degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of dedicated FPGA Engineering experience. Strong experience with VHDL and FPGA-based digital design.
• Strong experience with SystemVerilog testbench design.
• Hands-on experience with Siemens Questa for simulation and verification.
• Experience with AMD and/or Microchip FPGA technologies.
• Practical knowledge of radiation effects and mitigation techniques for FPGAs used in space environments.
• Experience implementing CAN, PCIe, and Ethernet interfaces.
• Knowledge of SpaceWire and SpaceFibre.
• Experience designing high-throughput data routers or switching architectures.
• Experience implementing machine-learning workloads or algorithm accelerators on FPGA platforms.
• Experience implementing signal-processing algorithms on FPGAs, such as FIR, IIR, and FFT.
• Strong programming skills in C, C++, and Python, in addition to HDL development.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Git, CMake, and GCC.
• Proficiency in reading and understanding PCB schematics.

What we offer

• A salary between €5,000 - €7,000 gross/month (based on experience, full-time)
• The opportunity to work on innovative technologies with real operational impact.
• Challenging projects within the Defence & Security domain.
• Collaboration with highly skilled engineers and domain experts.
• A modern and flexible working environment.
• The opportunity to contribute to solutions that help protect people, infrastructure, and society.
• A yearly fun trip abroad with the entire company!