Principal Electrical Engineer - Digital Hardware

Hidden Level; City of Syracuse (NY); On-site; USD 162,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid parental leave

Flexible time off

401(k) with employer contributions

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Potential stock options

Job summary

Hidden Level in Syracuse, NY, is seeking a Principal Digital Hardware Engineer to shape the digital hardware strategy and lead the development of next-generation sensing platforms. This role involves technical leadership across all phases of the product lifecycle.

The ideal candidate will have over 15 years of experience, expertise in FPGA systems, and strong communication skills. Competitive salary range is from $162,000 to $210,000, along with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of professional experience in hardware engineering.
• Strong knowledge of high-performance embedded processing platforms.
• Experience developing systems for digital signal processing.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of digital hardware architectures.
• Define technical direction and standards for FPGA development.
• Collaborate with leadership and engineering teams.
• Architect FPGA and digital processing solutions.
• Serve as a technical expert for digital hardware technologies.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams.

Skills

Leadership in complex technical efforts

Technical judgment

Communication and collaboration

Mentoring engineers

Expert knowledge of digital hardware architectures

Experience with FPGA systems

Designing digital and mixed-signal hardware

VHDL and/or Verilog

High-speed digital design

Travel availability

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Altium Designer

MATLAB

Python

Bash

Linux

Job description

At Hidden Level, we’re building the future of airspace awareness through cutting-edge RF sensing technology. Our mission is to make the world safer—whether it’s protecting troops, securing infrastructure, or enabling smarter cities. We design, manufacture, and deploy advanced sensor systems that deliver real-time insights for defense and commercial applications.

Position Overview

As we expand, we’re looking for a Principal Digital Hardware Engineer who will apply their expertise to shape digital hardware strategy, lead development of next‑generation sensing platforms, and support customer integration and adoption activities. This role will influence hardware architecture across multiple products and programs while providing technical leadership throughout the product lifecycle from concept development through deployment and sustainment.

Location

This position is located in the Syracuse, NY office with the potential for hybrid arrangements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of digital hardware architectures for next-generation sensing, communication, and signal processing systems
• Define technical direction and architecture standards for FPGA, SoC, and digital hardware development across products and programs
• Collaborate with company leadership, program leadership, and engineering teams to advance overall product capabilities and technical roadmaps
• Architect complex FPGA and digital processing solutions utilizing modern Xilinx platforms including Ultrascale+ and RFSoC devices
• Serve as a technical point of contact and subject matter expert for digital hardware technologies across internal and external stakeholders
• Lead technical reviews and provide guidance on hardware architectures, FPGA implementations, verification strategies, and design trade studies
• Evaluate and drive adoption of emerging technologies to increase engineering design efficiency and improve system capability, performance, manufacturability, and scalability
• Provide professional mentorship and technical leadership to engineering teams
• Support customer engagements, technical proposals, business development activities, and technology demonstrations
• Guide integration, verification, and validation activities at subsystem and system levels

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical efforts spanning multiple products, programs, and engineering disciplines
• Strong technical judgment with the ability to balance near‑term execution against long‑term technology objectives
• Proven ability to influence technical direction and drive architectural decisions
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with the ability to engage engineers, customers, and leadership
• Passion for mentoring engineers and advancing technical excellence across the organization
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical field
• 15+ years of professional experience
• Expert knowledge of digital hardware architectures, FPGA-based systems, and high‑performance embedded processing platforms
• Extensive experience designing digital and mixed‑signal hardware including FPGAs, SoCs, high‑speed converters, memory systems, and communication interfaces
• Experience with VHDL and/or Verilog and modern FPGA development environments including Vivado
• Deep understanding of high‑speed digital design, signal integrity considerations, and hardware verification methodologies
• Experience developing systems supporting digital signal processing, software‑defined radios, communication systems, radar systems, or advanced sensing platforms
• Demonstrated success leading architecture development and technical decision‑making for complex hardware systems
• Ability to travel 10%

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Altium Designer
• Experience with Communication and Sensor Systems, Digital Signal Processing, Software Defined Radios, and RF System Design
• Experience with MATLAB, Python, Bash, and Linux
• Experience supporting product transition to manufacturing
• Experience contributing to technology roadmaps and product strategy

Compensation and Benefits

Hidden Level offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, paid parental leave, flexible time off, 401(k) with employer contributions, life insurance, disability insurance, and potential stock options.

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is estimated at $162,000 to $210,000 annually. This information is a general guideline; Hidden Level considers factors such as scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, and market and business considerations when extending an offer.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Hidden Level is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Security Note

Due to the nature of Hidden Level’s technology, only U.S. citizens can be considered for this position.