Senior FPGA Prototyping Platform Engineer

NVIDIA; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 168,000 - 310,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

NVIDIA seeks a Senior FPGA Prototyping Platform Engineer to join the Emulation team in Santa Clara, CA. In this role, you will build and debug FPGA prototypes, collaborating closely in a fast-paced environment to resolve complex problems and deliver innovative solutions.

The candidate should have a strong background in Electrical or Computer Engineering, with significant FPGA prototyping experience. A competitive salary range of $168,000 to $310,500 is offered based on qualifications.

In addition to salary, equity and benefits will be provided, supporting a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Qualifications

• Strong experience with FPGA prototyping and related hardware architecture.
• Ability to coordinate with verification engineers and handle lab tasks independently.
• Hands-on experience in lab debug and managing lab environments.

Responsibilities

• Build FPGA prototypes through synthesis and timing analysis.
• Debug designs on FPGA platforms using lab equipment.
• Support customers with prototype release issues.

Skills

FPGA prototyping

Electrical Engineering

Computer Engineering

Synthesis

P&R and Timing closure

Lab debug methodologies

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering or related fields with 7+ years experience

MS with 5+ years experience

Tools

Synopsys Protocompiler

Xilinx Vivado

ChipScope

oscilloscopes

logic/protocol analyzers

Job description

Are you passionate about FPGA prototyping? Are you interested in pushing the boundaries of innovation to make FPGA prototypes faster and more efficient? Can you work in a fast-paced environment that requires coordination between many teams across geographies and resolving sophisticated problems daily? If so, we are looking for hardworking engineers who will craft FPGA prototypes of our next generation GPUs and SOCs on standard FPGA prototyping platforms.

We are now looking for a Senior FPGA Prototyping Platform Engineer to join our Emulation team onsite in Santa Clara, CA.

What you'll be doing:

• Build FPGA prototypes by taking the design through synthesis and place and route, analyzing timing and generating bitstreams.
• Bring up the design on FPGA prototyping platforms involving hands‑on lab debug with HW and SW debuggers.
• Release the prototype to the customers and support them when they face problems.
• Using HW diagnostics specific to Prototyping platforms to help isolate issues between HW platform, FPGA design programmed on to platform.
• Good coordination with verification engineers and SW teams and Lab Technicians will be needed to accomplish your tasks.

What we need to see:

• BS (or equivalent experience) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related fields with 7+ years of experience in FPGA prototyping, or MS with 5+ years of proven experience in FPGA prototyping.
• Good understanding of FPGA prototyping hardware architecture, flows and tools.
• Experience with hands‑on FPGA prototyping lab tasks and working with or managing lab technicians in lab environment of medium to large scale.
• Experience in backend flows of FPGA Prototyping - Synthesis, P&R and Timing closure, with emphasis on Synopsys Protocompiler and Xilinx Vivado.
• Hands‑on experience with lab FPGA debug methodologies, tools (Identify and/or ChipScope), and lab debug equipment (oscilloscopes, logic/protocol analyzers).

Ways to stand out from the crowd:

• Experience with carrying out independent as well as collaborative debug tasks and ability to quickly triage and root‑cause issues is a major plus.
• Prior experience with prototyping (Synopsys HAPS or FPGA platforms) of a high‑performance processor or SOC is a plus.

NVIDIA has continuously reinvented itself over two decades. Our invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined modern computer graphics, and revolutionized parallel computing. More recently, GPU deep learning ignited modern AI — the next era of computing. NVIDIA is a “learning machine” that constantly evolves by adapting to new opportunities that are hard to solve, that only we can tackle, and that matter to the world. This is our life’s work, to amplify human imagination and intelligence. Make the choice to join us today!

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 168,000 USD - 264,500 USD for Level 4, and 196,000 USD - 310,500 USD for Level 5.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until June 6, 2026.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.