Lead FPGA Design Engineer

Jabil; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Jabil is seeking an FPGA Lead Engineer in Austin to lead FPGA design, integration, and debugging for server, storage, and AI infrastructure platforms. You will own FPGA architecture, RTL implementation, and verification readiness while coordinating with systems, firmware, and manufacturing teams.

The role requires strong leadership, deep FPGA toolchain experience (Xilinx/Intel), and hands-on debugging across FPGA, PCB, and HW bring-up cycles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• 5–10 years of FPGA design, programmable logic development, hardware integration, or related platform engineering work.
• Strong expertise in FPGA design flows, RTL development, simulation, timing analysis, constraints, and lab-based debug.
• Experience with AMD/Xilinx, Intel/Altera toolchains; knowledge of interfaces like SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet, PCIe, JESD.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Lead development teams, conduct design reviews, and oversee requirement traceability.
• Hardware Validation: Lead debugging and testing campaigns on PCBs using lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, function generators).
• Project Management: Plan and manage technical, cost, and schedule objectives; monitor risks and configuration.
• Own investigation and closure of complex FPGA, hardware, and firmware issues during bring-up and ramp.
• Collaborate with Electrical, BIOS, BMC, Systems, Validation, Manufacturing, and customers to resolve cross-domain issues.
• Support FPGA verification readiness, lab debug, hardware validation, and release criteria by ensuring traceability.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to reusable design practices, documentation quality, and engineering best practices.
• Communicate technical direction and risk to leadership, customers, and cross-functional stakeholders.

Skills

FPGA design flows

RTL development

Simulation

Timing analysis

Constraints

Lab-based debug

Technical leadership

Effective communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

FPGA toolchains (Xilinx/Intel)

Job description

Job Summary

The FPGA Lead Engineer is responsible for leading FPGA design, development, integration, and debug activities for complex server, storage, networking, AI infrastructure, and rack-level platforms. This role provides technical ownership for FPGA architecture, RTL implementation, verification readiness, hardware bring-up, and cross-functional issue resolution to ensure programmable logic solutions meet system requirements, schedule commitments, manufacturability expectations, and customer quality targets.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Lead development teams, conduct design reviews, and oversee requirement traceability. Act as the technical liaison between cross-functional partners, system architects, and program managers.
• Hardware Validation: Lead debugging and testing campaigns on physical printed circuit boards (PCBs) using lab equipment like digital oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and function generators.
• Project Management: Plan and manage technical, cost, and schedule objectives. Monitor technical risks and handle configuration.
• Own investigation and closure of complex FPGA, hardware, and firmware integration issues during bring-up, validation, manufacturing ramp, and customer escalation.
• Partner with Electrical, BIOS, BMC, Systems, Validation, Manufacturing, and customer teams to resolve cross-domain issues and align technical decisions.
• Support FPGA verification readiness, lab debug, hardware validation, and release criteria by ensuring requirements traceability and disciplined issue management.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to reusable design practices, coding standards, documentation quality, and engineering best practices.
• Communicate technical direction, risks, tradeoffs, milestone health, and resolution plans clearly to leadership, customers, and cross-functional stakeholders.

Job Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field; Master’s degree preferred.
• 5–10 years of relevant experience in FPGA design, programmable logic development, hardware integration, or related platform engineering work.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Strong expertise in FPGA design flows, RTL development, simulation, synthesis, timing analysis, constraints, and lab-based debug.
• Experience with common FPGA toolchains and devices from vendors such as AMD/Xilinx, Intel/Altera, or equivalent platforms is required. Strong understanding of standard digital interfaces like SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet, PCIe, or JESD protocols
• Experience with server, storage, networking, accelerator, PCIe-based, or other complex compute platforms is preferred.
• Ability to lead technical decisions, drive root cause analysis, and align multiple engineering disciplines toward successful execution.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex programmable logic issues clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.