Principal FPGA Engineer

Owl Cyber Defense; Danbury (CT); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Wellness programs

Job summary

Owl Cyber Defense Solutions, LLC is seeking a Principal FPGA Engineer to lead architecture, system integration, and advanced hardware development on cybersecurity platforms. You will mentor teams, drive FPGA initiatives, and influence long-term product strategy.

The role demands 15+ years in FPGA/embedded systems with SystemVerilog expertise and experience with Xcellium verification, plus the ability to obtain US government security clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.
• 15+ years of FPGA and embedded systems experience.
• Extensive FPGA architecture and packet processing expertise.
• Strong leadership and mentoring abilities.
• Expert knowledge SystemVerilog.
• Experience with advanced FPGA verification methodologies.
• Expertise in simulation (Xcellium) and familiarity with linting programs (DVT).
• Experience in Xilinx/AMD Versal and Ultrascale+ devices is a plus.
• Strong understanding of AXI, HSS, Ethernet protocols.
• Strong understanding of embedded systems.
• Strong leadership and troubleshooting skills.
• Candidates must be able to obtain/maintain a US Government security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead FPGA architecture and system design initiatives.
• Drive advanced FPGA and embedded hardware development.
• Develop advanced FPGA packet handling mechanisms.
• Provide technical leadership for simulation and verification efforts.
• Provide technical mentorship across engineering teams.
• Support long-term product and technology strategy, including roadmap and test.
• Lead troubleshooting and performance optimization efforts.
• Collaborate with leadership on technical planning.
• Participate / lead AGILE Scrum activities.

Skills

FPGA architecture

Embedded systems

Leadership

SystemVerilog

FPGA verification

Xcellium

DVT linting

Xilinx/AMD Versal/Ultrascale+

AXI/HSS/Ethernet

Embedded software

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

None

Job description

Work Location: Remote (for those in Eastern or Central time zones)

Job Title: Principal FPGA Engineer Department: Product Development Reports to: Director of Hardware Engineering Office: Danbury, CT Work Location: Remote (for those in Eastern or Central time zones) Owl Cyber Defense is a leader and trusted partner in cyber security. We deliver solutions that protect and connect the world’s most critical networks. Owl’s product lines of cross domain, data diode, and portable media solutions provide the strongest available security checkpoints for threat prevention and secure data availability. Our in-depth expertise in security engineering at the operating system level enables us to help government and commercial customers meet ever-evolving cyber security threats.

Job Summary:

The Principal FPGA Engineer serves as a technical leader on the Owl Advanced Development Hardware team. This individual is responsible for FPGA architecture, system integration, and advanced hardware development initiatives for cybersecurity and embedded technology platforms. This role leads complex engineering efforts, drives innovation, mentors engineering teams, and contributes to long-term product and technology strategy.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead FPGA architecture and system design initiatives.
• Drive advanced FPGA and embedded hardware development.
• Develop advanced FPGA packet handling mechanisms. This may include designs for high speed application or significant data modification.
• Provide technical leadership for simulation and verification efforts.
• Provide technical mentorship across engineering teams.
• Support long-term product and technology strategy, including roadmap and test.
• Lead troubleshooting and performance optimization efforts.
• Collaborate with leadership on technical planning.
• Participate / lead AGILE Scrum activities.

Requirements/Qualifications:

• Education
  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience
• Experience
  • 15+ years of FPGA and embedded systems experience.
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
  • Extensive FPGA architecture and packet processing expertise.
  • Strong leadership and mentoring abilities.
  • Experience leading large-scale technical initiatives.
  • Expert knowledge SystemVerilog.
  • Experience with advanced FPGA verification methodologies.
  • Expertise in simulation (Xcellium) and familiarity with linting programs (DVT)
  • Experience in Xilinx/AMD Versal and Ultrascale+ devices a plus
  • Strong understanding of AXI, HSS, Ethernet protocols
  • Strong understanding of embedded systems.
  • Strong leadership and troubleshooting skills.
• Additional Competencies/Requirements
  • Candidates must be able to obtain/maintain a US Government security clearance

Salary:

The salary for this position ranges between $160,000.00 and $210,000.00 USD. This range represents Owl Cyber Defense Solutions' good-faith estimate of the base salary for this position at the time of posting. Placement within the range will depend on factors such as relevant work experience, geographic location, education, training, certifications, key skills, internal equity, market data, and other job-related considerations. Compensation will not be below any applicable local minimum wage. This position is also eligible to participate in the Company's annual bonus program, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plan.

Benefits:

• medical, dental, and vision coverage
• a 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions
• paid time off (to include flexible vacation and personal time, paid sick leave and designated paid company holidays)
• company-paid life insurance
• company-paid short- and long-term disability insurance
• and a variety of voluntary benefits and wellness programs.

Additional information regarding benefit eligibility, employee contribution rates, and plan details will be provided during the hiring process.

About Owl Cyber Defense Solutions, LLC

Owl Cyber Defense Solutions, LLC is a fast-growing cybersecurity solutions company, holding a firm leadership position in network security and secure information transfer. It is a privately-owned US company with offices in Columbia, MD, Danbury, CT and Morrisville, NC. For more information, see https://www.owlcyberdefense.com .

Owl Cyber Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal employment laws and regulations. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.