FPGA Engineer

SWISSto12 SA; Northern, Foster City (KY, CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

SWISSto12 is a fast-growing aerospace company applying 3D printed RF products and satellites like HummingSat. This mid-level FPGA Engineer role focuses on real-time DSP pipelines on FPGA/SoC for modern communications, including 5G NTN.

The candidate will design and verify DSP algorithms, work with high-speed interfaces, and collaborate across hardware and software teams to deliver high-performance, space-ready solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 5–7 years of FPGA/ASIC design and development experience.
• Strong DSP fundamentals and hardware-oriented thinking.
• Experience with RTL design languages (VHDL/Verilog/SystemVerilog).

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and verify FPGA-based DSP algorithms for communications systems.
• Develop high-performance RTL for real-time signal processing pipelines.
• Interface with high-speed ADCs/DACs (JESD204B/C).
• Integrate FPGA designs within heterogeneous SoC platforms (Versal, Zynq, RFSoC).
• Collaborate on SDR platforms and end-to-end system performance.

Skills

FPGA / ASIC design

DSP

RTL design

Xilinx Vivado

Intel Quartus

High-speed interfaces

MATLAB/Simulink or Python

Embedded platforms

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Xilinx Vivado

Intel Quartus

Job description

SWISSto12 is one of the world’s fastest-growing aerospace companies, evolving from its pioneering use of 3D printing technologies for high-performance Radio Frequency (RF) products and applications to recently announcing the manufacture of entire geostationary telecom satellites, called HummingSat, that define a new category in space. HummingSat is the world’s first commercial telecom GEO SmallSat developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA). Its uniquely compact size combined with highly capable telecom payloads allows telecommunications operators to deploy a cost-efficient, compact, and agile asset without sacrificing performance or security. HummingSat has been selected by Intelsat to build the I-45 satellite, by Inmarsat to build three I-8 satellites, and recently by Astrum Mobile to build the NEASTAR-1 satellite. SWISSto12 is also a leading provider of Radio-Frequency (RF) products and sub-systems for satellite communication and remote sensing applications. The company’s patented 3D printing technologies and associated product designs are unique to deliver lightweight, compact, highly performing, and competitive RF products. We are seeking a highly motivated mid-level FPGA Engineer with strong experience in digital signal processing (DSP) and communications systems to support the development of advanced software-defined radio (SDR) and next-generation wireless platforms. This role focuses on implementing high-performance, real-time signal processing pipelines on FPGA and SoC platforms used in modern communication systems, including 5G NTN. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with FPGA design for high-throughput data paths, integration with high-speed RF data converters, and system-level understanding of wireless communication architecture.

Job requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 5–7 years of experience in FPGA/ASIC design and development and embedded platforms.
• Strong understanding of digital signal processing (DSP) principles.
• Proficiency in RTL design (VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog).
• Experience with FPGA toolchains (e.g., Xilinx Vivado/Vitis, Intel Quartus).
• Experience implementing high-speed digital interfaces (e.g., JESD204, LVDS, SERDES).
• Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink or Python for algorithm development and modeling.
• Understanding of fixed-point arithmetic and hardware-efficient DSP implementation.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 5–7 years of experience in FPGA/ASIC design and development and embedded platforms.
• Strong understanding of digital signal processing (DSP) principles.
• Proficiency in RTL design (VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog).
• Experience with FPGA toolchains (e.g., Xilinx Vivado/Vitis, Intel Quartus).
• Experience implementing high-speed digital interfaces (e.g., JESD204, LVDS, SERDES).
• Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink or Python for algorithm development and modeling.
• Understanding of fixed-point arithmetic and hardware-efficient DSP implementation.

Additional preferred qualifications

• Experience with wireless communication systems (LTE, 5G NR).
• Knowledge of PHY-layer signal processing (OFDM, MIMO, channel estimation, synchronization).
• Experience with RFSoC or similar integrated RF + FPGA platforms.
• Familiarity with beamforming architectures (digital or hybrid).
• Experience with embedded SoC environments (ARM cores, Linux, bare-metal).
• Exposure to high-speed networking protocols (e.g., Ethernet, eCPRI).
• Experience with hardware/software co-design and system partitioning.
• Familiarity with version control (Git) and CI/CD workflows for FPGA development.
• Familiarity with FPGA development for space applications.

Job responsibilities

• Design, implement, and verify FPGA-based DSP algorithms for communications systems (e.g., channelization, modulation/demodulation, filtering, beamforming).
• Develop high-performance RTL (VHDL/Verilog/SystemVerilog) for real-time signal processing pipelines.
• Implement and optimize data paths involving high-speed ADCs/DACs (e.g., JESD204B/C interfaces).
• Integrate FPGA designs within heterogeneous SoC platforms (e.g., Xilinx/AMD Versal, Zynq, RFSoC).
• Support development of software-defined radio (SDR) platforms and digital front-end architectures.
• Collaborate on system partitioning between FPGA fabric, embedded processors, and external compute platforms.
• Perform timing closure, resource optimization, and performance tuning for high-throughput designs.
• Develop simulation and verification environments (MATLAB, Python, HDL testbenches).
• Interface with RF, systems, and software engineers to ensure end-to-end system performance.
• Document architectures, design decisions, and test results for internal and external stakeholders.

Location

United States (New York / New Jersey area).

Further details to be shared by our recruitment team.

More about SWISSto12: SWISSto12 has successfully established contracts with Intelsat, Inmarsat, Astrum Mobile and ESA for HummingSat as well as contracts for their RF product line in Europe, and the US with prominent partners and customers such as Thales, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SES and the ESA. SWISSto12 is a spin off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), is privately owned and backed by prominent Swiss and European Investors. SWISSto12 is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and operates a US and European-subsidiariesy in Foster City California. The company is well funded for its near and mid-term developments and backed by a solid customer revenue stream.