Senior FPGA & Embedded RF Firmware Engineer

Actalent; United States; Remote; USD 99,000 - 131,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent is seeking an FPGA/Firmware Engineer to design, verify, and optimize firmware for FPGA-based and embedded control systems in defense and aerospace applications. You will work with cross-functional teams and utilize VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog to meet demanding mission-critical requirements.

The role emphasizes high-reliability systems, DO-254 style documentation, and collaboration across RF, digital, and systems engineering.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship with the ability to obtain a DoD security clearance.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or closely related discipline.
• 10+ years of firmware experience for FPGA or embedded systems in aerospace/defense environments.
• Strong proficiency in VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog for FPGA and digital logic design.

Responsibilities

• Architect, implement, and optimize firmware for FPGA and embedded control systems using VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog.
• Develop and maintain low-level control and data-processing logic for mixed-signal and RF systems.
• Develop and maintain logic to support neural network processing within FPGA-based platforms.
• Integrate firmware with higher-level embedded software and hardware components for seamless operation.
• Define FPGA architectures for signal processing, control logic, and interface management.
• Collaborate with RF, electrical, and systems engineers to meet timing and performance requirements.
• Participate in schematic and board-level design reviews to ensure compatibility.
• Develop simulation testbenches and perform verification using Questa, Vivado, etc.
• Support hardware bring-up, system integration, and debug in the lab with test equipment.
• Document design approaches, test procedures, and verification results per DoD standards.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of firmware development, verification, and integration practices.

Skills

VHDL

Verilog

SystemVerilog

FPGA design

Digital logic

C/C++

Python basics

Documentation skills

Team collaboration

Education

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

Tools

Questa

Vivado

Xilinx/AMD toolchain

Intel/Altera toolchain

Microchip/Microsemi toolchain

Job description

Actalent is seeking an FPGA/Firmware Engineer to design, verify, and optimize firmware for FPGA-based and embedded control systems in defense and aerospace applications. You will work with cross-functional teams and utilize VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog to meet demanding mission-critical requirements.

The role emphasizes high-reliability systems, DO-254 style documentation, and collaboration across RF, digital, and systems engineering.