Senior FPGA Engineer

KBR Careers; Beavercreek (OH); On-site; USD 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

KBR’s National Security Solutions team is seeking a Senior FPGA Engineer to lead design, development, integration, and debugging of FPGA-based DSP systems for communications and RF applications. The role spans hardware, firmware, and software with independent operation and technical leadership across teams.

The ideal candidate has extensive FPGA/DSP experience, Proficient in VHDL/Verilog, and familiar with Vivado; DoD clearance is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering.
• 8+ years of relevant FPGA, DSP, communications, or RF signal processing experience.
• Proficiency in VHDL and/or Verilog.
• Experience targeting FPGA devices from AMD or other major vendors.
• Experience with FPGA development tools such as Vivado or similar toolchains.
• Familiarity with AXI-based communication architectures.
• Strong DSP fundamentals including sampling, filtering, and Fourier transforms.
• Experience working in a Linux development environment.
• Experience using Git or similar version control systems.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DoD security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain FPGA-based DSP architectures for advanced communications and RF systems.
• Lead the development and integration of FPGA logic across SDR platforms, ensuring reliability.
• Implement, optimize, and debug real-time DSP algorithms in hardware (filters, FFTs, modulation).
• Integrate FPGA designs with embedded processors and system interfaces (AXI).
• Develop supporting software/firmware to command and interface with FPGA modules.
• Perform hardware bring-up, test, and debugging with standard RF/digital test equipment.
• Create simulation environments, testbenches, and verification workflows.
• Collaborate with RF, software, firmware, and systems engineers for end-to-end integration.
• Analyze and optimize FPGA performance for throughput, latency, and power.
• Develop scripts and automation for build/test/deploy workflows.
• Support configuration management, documentation, and version control.
• Lead or participate in design reviews and provide engineering estimates.

Job description

Title: Senior FPGA Engineer Belong. Connect. Grow. with KBR!

KBR’s National Security Solutions team provides high-end engineering and advanced technology solutions to our customers in the intelligence and national security communities. In this position, your work will have a profound impact on the country’s most critical role – protecting our national security.

Why Join Us?

Innovative Projects: KBR’s work is at the forefront of engineering, logistics, operations, science, program management, mission IT and cybersecurity solutions. Collaborative Environment: Be part of a dynamic team that thrives on collaboration and innovation, fostering a supportive and intellectually stimulating workplace. Impactful Work: Your contributions will be pivotal in designing and optimizing defense systems that ensure national security and shape the future of space defense.

KBR is seeking a Senior FPGA / Digital Signal Processing Engineer to lead the design, development, integration, and debugging of advanced FPGA‑based communications, RF, and signal processing systems. This role involves hands‑on FPGA development, DSP algorithm implementation, embedded processor integration, and laboratory hardware bring‑up in a collaborative, mission‑focused environment. The ideal candidate brings deep experience with FPGA‑based DSP systems, strong analytical skills, and the ability to work independently across hardware, firmware, and software domains while providing technical leadership to the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain FPGA‑based DSP architectures for advanced communications and RF systems.
• Lead the development and integration of FPGA logic across multiple Software‑Defined Radio (SDR) platforms, ensuring reliable performance and interoperability.
• Implement, optimize, and debug real‑time DSP algorithms in hardware, including filtering, FFTs, modulation/demodulation, and synchronization functions.
• Integrate FPGA designs with embedded processors, external peripherals, and system interfaces using standard communication protocols such as AXI.
• Develop supporting software and firmware to command, control, and interface with FPGA‑based modules.
• Perform hardware bring‑up, test, and debugging in laboratory environments using standard RF and digital test equipment.
• Create and maintain simulation environments, testbenches, and verification workflows to validate functional and timing correctness of FPGA designs.
• Collaborate with RF, software, firmware, and systems engineers to support end‑to‑end system integration and troubleshooting.
• Analyze and optimize FPGA performance with respect to throughput, latency, resource utilization, and power constraints.
• Develop scripts and automation tools to support FPGA build, test, and deployment workflows.
• Support configuration management, documentation, and version control best practices throughout the FPGA development lifecycle.
• Lead or participate in technical design reviews, provide engineering estimates, and contribute to system architecture decisions.
• Mentor junior and mid‑level engineers and promote best practices in FPGA design, DSP implementation, and debugging techniques.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering 8+ years of relevant experience in FPGA, DSP, communications, or RF signal processing systems
• Proficiency in VHDL and/or Verilog
• Experience targeting FPGA devices from AMD and/or other major vendors
• Experience with FPGA development tools such as Vivado or similar toolchains
• Familiarity with AXI‑based communication architectures
• Strong understanding of DSP fundamentals, including sampling, filtering, and Fourier transforms
• Experience working in a Linux development environment
• Experience using Git or similar version control systems
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DoD security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
• Experience implementing DSP algorithms in both HDL and C/C++
• Experience with SDR frameworks such as GNU Radio, RFNoC, RedHawk SDR, or OpenCPI
• Experience integrating FPGA logic with embedded processors (e.g., ARM, MicroBlaze)
• Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink or similar modeling tools
• Experience with advanced verification, simulation, or debug tools
• Experience developing automation or prototyping tools using Python
• Experience with AMD Zynq‑7000 or Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC platforms
• Experience with PetaLinux and/or Yocto build systems

Basic Compensation

$160,000 - $210,000 (For Beavercreek, OH Only)

The offered rate will be based on the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities and/or experience and in consideration of internal parity.

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together.

Equal Opportunity

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

KBR — Delivering Solutions, Changing the World.

KBR brings together the best and brightest to deliver science, technology and engineering solutions that help governments and companies around the world accomplish their most critical missions and objectives.

Worldwide, KBR employs a diverse workforce approximately 29,000 people strong, with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries.

At KBR, We Deliver.

ONE KBR Values

• We Value Our People – We create diverse, inclusive environments in which each person can feel safe, respected and valued, and where everyone has opportunities to grow and reach their full potential.
• We Deliver – We are uncompromising in our commitment to deliver innovative, high-quality, technology-led solutions for our customers and exceptional, sustainable value for all our stakeholders.
• We Are People of Integrity – We value honesty, trust, courage, fairness, prudence and tenacity. We believe doing what’s right for the planet, the communities where we work, and our people is good for business.
• We Empower – We empower our people with a shared purpose, the right tools and the supportive culture they need to be proactive decision-makers, to be adaptive to change, and to succeed.
• We Are a Team of Teams – We have a will to succeed, but we value the achievements of our team of teams over individual accomplishments. Our collective focus makes us a better, stronger, more effective company.
• We have also embedded environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles in every business operation and corporate function. Not only are we committed to operating safely, sustainably and equitably, but we are also committed to using our capabilities and expertise to help our customers accomplish their sustainability goals.