Senior FPGA Design Engineer - Defense, Real-Time Systems

Talentify; Palatine (IL); On-site; USD 76,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) plan

Life Insurance

Disability (short & long-term)

HSA (Health Spending Account)

Transportation benefits

PTO

Job summary

Actalent is seeking an FPGA Design Engineer in Palatine, IL to contribute across the full FPGA design lifecycle—requirements, architecture, implementation, verification, and support. You will work on defense-grade hardware, crafting complex digital logic with VHDL for realtime, high-performance applications.

Collaboration with RF, systems, and firmware teams is essential. The role emphasizes hands-on FPGA work, debugging in lab environments, and adherence to defense industry standards.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in full FPGA design lifecycle from requirements to verification.
• Strong VHDL coding and simulation for real-time, high-performance apps.
• Experience with defense industry standards and security practices.
• Ability to collaborate with RF, systems, hardware, and firmware teams.
• Active Secret clearance preferred or higher.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement FPGA-based digital logic for defense systems.
• Create, optimize, and maintain VHDL code for high-performance realtime apps.
• Own the full FPGA design lifecycle from requirements to support.
• Collaborate with crossfunctional teams to ensure seamless integration.
• Participate in lab integration, testing, and debugging of FPGA designs.
• Document specifications, test procedures, and technical reports clearly.

Skills

FPGA design

VHDL

FPGA toolchains

Digital logic

Hardware debugging

Security clearance

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

Xilinx toolchain

Intel/Altera toolchains

Job description

Actalent is seeking an FPGA Design Engineer in Palatine, IL to contribute across the full FPGA design lifecycle—requirements, architecture, implementation, verification, and support. You will work on defense-grade hardware, crafting complex digital logic with VHDL for realtime, high-performance applications.

Collaboration with RF, systems, and firmware teams is essential. The role emphasizes hands-on FPGA work, debugging in lab environments, and adherence to defense industry standards.