Firmware Engineer

Novanta Inc.; Bedford (MA); On-site; USD 98,000 - 156,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Job summary

Novanta is seeking a highly skilled Embedded firmware engineer with FPGA focus to join our engineering team, developing next‑generation sensor technology used in surgical robotics, semiconductor equipment, and industrial systems.

You will design, implement, and optimize FPGA Verilog code, validate with test benches, collaborate across hardware, software, and systems teams, and contribute to robust, high‑performance solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering required.
• 3+ years of Firmware engineering experience with Verilog.
• Experience with Lattice or Altera FPGAs.
• Experience implementing signal processing (FFT, FIR) and communication protocols (CAN, BiSS, SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet).
• Familiarity with digital and analog electronics and oscilloscopes.
• Proficient with AI-assisted code writing/reviewing.
• Strong communication and CM skills; experience with Git/Jira and Agile/Kanban.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain FPGA Verilog code for sensor technology.
• Implement data processing algorithms and integrate with software models.
• Design, simulate, and integrate Verilog designs into FPGAs for high performance.
• Collaborate with hardware, firmware, software, and systems teams to define FPGA requirements.
• Develop robust test benches and validate designs with lab tools.

Skills

Verilog design

Firmware engineering

Signal processing

CAN/Serial protocols

Digital/Analog electronics

AI-assisted coding

Git/Jira

Agile/Kanban

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Lattice

Altera

MATLAB

Python

C++

Verilog

Job description

Build a career powered by innovations that matter! At Novanta, our innovations power technology products that are transforming healthcare and advanced manufacturing—improving productivity, enhancing people’s lives and redefining what’s possible. We create for our global customers engineered components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance for a range of mission‑critical applications—from minimally invasive surgery to robotics to 3D metal printing. Novanta is one global team with over 26 offices located in The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Looking for a great place to work? You have found it with a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and empowerment. Come explore Novanta.

Job Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Embedded firmware engineer with FPGA focus to join our engineering team focused on developing next‑generation sensor technology. You will play a critical role in designing, implementing, and optimizing embedded software that drives high‑speed, high precision sensor technology used in surgical robots, semiconductor or industrial equipment.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain FPGA Verilog code for sensor technology
• Algorithm Implementation: Analyzing, designing, and implementing data processing algorithms (e.g., FIR filter, FFT, burst control, arctan calculation) in Verilog based on existing software models (e.g., MATLAB, C++, or Python models).
• FPGA Development: Designing, simulating, and integrating Verilog designs into FPGAs for optimized performance, resource utilization, low latency and power efficiency
• Implement low‑level communication protocols (e.g., CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet, BISS)
• Collaborate with hardware engineers, firmware engineers, systems engineers, and application software developers to define FPGA requirements
• Hardware/Software Integration: Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams (electrical engineers, software engineers, firmware engineers) to ensure seamless integration of the FPGA firmware with the overall system
• Testing and Validation: Developing robust test benches in Verilog and utilizing lab tools such as oscilloscopes and logic analyzers for rigorous testing and validation of designs against functional specifications and performance requirements.
• Participate in code reviews, documentation, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Support manufacturing and field teams with debugging and troubleshooting

Job Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in Firmware engineering, focusing on Verilog design, development, and testing.
• A bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering or a related advanced degree.
• Demonstrated experience utilizing Lattice or Altera
• Demonstrated experience implementing signal processing (FFT, FIR) and communication protocols (e.g., CAN, BiSS, SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet)
• Familiarity with digital and analog electronics, schematics, and oscilloscopes
• Proficient with AI (copilot) assisted code writing and reviewing.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Excellent software configuration management capabilities i.e. revision control systems (Github or the like)
• Experience with MS tools (Visio, Excel, Word, etc)
• Demonstrated experience in Agile development methodologies and/or Kanban and associated tools (Atlassian [Jira] or the like)
• Occasional travel may be required.

Salary Information

The salary for this role will range from $97,680 to $156,310 annually based on full-time employment.

Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including but not limited to location, relevant skills, training, experience, education, etc.

Certain roles may be eligible for performance-based incentive compensation and/or long‑term incentives. Incentives could be discretionary or non‑discretionary depending on the plan.

Benefits

Novanta supports all aspects of your life’s needs.

• This position provides a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits to make your quality of life better.

Novanta is proud to be an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action workplace. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, military and veteran status, disability, genetics, or any other category protected by federal law or Novanta policy.

About Novanta

Solving complex challenges, delivering innovations that matter! Novanta is a leading global supplier of core technology solutions that give medical, life science, and advanced industrial original equipment manufacturers a competitive advantage. We combine deep proprietary expertise and competencies in precision medicine, precision manufacturing, robotics and automation, and advanced surgery with a proven ability to solve complex technical challenges. This enables Novanta to engineer proprietary technology solutions that deliver extreme precision and performance, tailored to our customers’ demanding applications. The driving force behind our growth is the team of innovative professionals who share a commitment to innovation, the Novanta Growth System, and our customers’ success. Novanta’s common shares are quoted on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "NOVT".