Senior FPGA & Embedded Firmware Engineer for Defense Systems

Via Logic LLC; Saint Petersburg (FL); On-site; USD 87,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Senior Digital Firmware Design Engineer for our St. Petersburg, FL facility to advance secure, ruggedized defense electronics. You will design, integrate, test and optimize FPGA-based hardware and firmware for mission-critical military communications systems.

The role emphasizes deep FPGA/SoC design, VHDL, and embedded software development across the full product lifecycle, collaborating with hardware, software, RF, and systems teams to deliver robust solutions.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field.
• 6+ years in embedded hardware and digital design; 8+ for senior level.
• Experience across full product lifecycle: requirements, design, integration, testing, production.
• Strong VHDL and FPGA/SoC design experience; HDL with SOCs/FPGA/CPLD/microcontrollers.
• Proficiency with modern design tools (Xilinx Vivado, Vitis, Altera/Intel Quartus, Libero SoC, Lattice Diamond).
• Simulation and testbench generation with ModelSim, Aldec/Riveria Pro.

Responsibilities

• Develop secure, high‑performance military communications hardware and firmware.
• Translate system requirements into detailed hardware designs with traceability.
• Write VHDL, perform synthesis, simulate, and debug FPGA/CPLD designs.
• Architect and test embedded firmware/software in FPGA-based designs (signal processing, control, high‑speed interfaces).
• Troubleshoot hardware/firmware issues across prototype and production.
• Support design reviews, documentation, and configuration management.
• Provide input for cost estimates, schedules, and risk assessments.
• Collaborate with Firmware, Software, RF, systems, and test teams throughout the lifecycle.

Skills

FPGA-based digital design

VHDL

C/C++ for embedded systems

System requirements decomposition

Hardware-software integration

Education

BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field

Tools

Xilinx Vivado

Xilinx Vitis

Intel Quartus (Altera)

Libero SoC

Lattice Diamond

ModelSim

Riveria Pro

Aldec Active HDL

ARM Cortex

Job description

Leidos is seeking a Senior Digital Firmware Design Engineer for our St. Petersburg, FL facility to advance secure, ruggedized defense electronics. You will design, integrate, test and optimize FPGA-based hardware and firmware for mission-critical military communications systems.

The role emphasizes deep FPGA/SoC design, VHDL, and embedded software development across the full product lifecycle, collaborating with hardware, software, RF, and systems teams to deliver robust solutions.