Staff/Lead FPGA Engineer

Freeform; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% employer-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

Significant stock option packages

Paid vacation, sick leave, and company holidays

Free daily catered lunch and dinner

Job summary

A cutting-edge technology company in Los Angeles is seeking a Staff/Lead FPGA Engineer. This key role involves architecting and implementing advanced FPGA solutions for an innovative metal 3D printing technology. Candidates should have over 10 years of FPGA development experience and a Bachelor's degree in a related field. Competitive compensation includes a salary range of $150,000 to $400,000+, along with significant stock options and comprehensive benefits. The role fosters collaboration in a vibrant tech ecosystem.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in FPGA development.
• Experience with board bring-up and hardware-centric FPGA developments.
• Familiarity with Xilinx Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement FPGA solutions for a high-throughput image processing pipeline.
• Lead interdisciplinary engineering efforts to innovate FPGA capabilities.
• Implement custom algorithms and controllers on FPGAs.

Skills

FPGA development

SystemVerilog or VHDL

High-speed IO

Image processing

Electrical engineering

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science or related field

Tools

Xilinx Vivado/Vitis toolchain

Job description

Staff/Lead FPGA Engineer

Freeform is deploying software‑defined, autonomous metal 3D printing factories around the world, bringing the scalability of software to physical production. Our proprietary technology stack leverages advanced sensing, real‑time controls, and data‑driven learning to produce digitally‑verified, flawless parts at unprecedented speed and cost. Our mission is to make the transformative power of 3D printing available to all industries at scale and unlock the future of innovation.

As a Staff/Lead FPGA Engineer at Freeform, you will be responsible for architecting and implementing a custom compute platform that enables the world’s first AI‑driven, intelligent metal 3D printing technology. You will use the latest and greatest in FPGA’s including the Xilinx Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC to scale a high‑throughput, low‑latency image processing pipeline. You will also have an opportunity to integrate your FPGA solutions with state‑of‑the‑art GPUs to create an advanced machine‑learning acceleration platform. You will drive interdisciplinary engineering efforts between software, electrical, and process engineering teams to rapidly innovate custom FPGA solutions. High‑performance computing is central to what makes Freeform’s technology unique and powerful, so this is a high‑impact role in which you’ll develop core IP for a world‑changing technology.

3D printing experience is not required to be successful here – rather we look for smart, motivated, collaborative engineers who love solving hard problems and creating amazing technology!

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement FPGA solutions to scale a high‑throughput, ultra‑low latency image processing pipeline
• Lead interdisciplinary efforts between software, electrical, and process engineering to drive innovation on FPGA capabilities
• Architect and implement custom FPGA capabilities to enable real‑time machine learning
• Architect and implement new logic components for use on FPGAs
• Implement custom algorithms on FPGAs for signal processing
• Implement custom controllers on FPGAs

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or related field
• 10+ years of FPGA development experience in SystemVerilog or VHDL
• Familiarity with Xilinx Vivado/Vitis toolchain development environment
• Experience with high‑speed IO, board bring‑up, and similar hardware‑centric FPGA development domains

Nice to Have

• Master’s degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or related field
• Experience with image processing or DSP
• Experience with Xilinx Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC
• Experience with embedded software development including embedded Linux and System on Chip (SoC)‑based architectures
• Experience implementing math/advanced computations on FPGAs
• Experience with heterogeneous computing platforms and high‑speed data acquisition systems
• Familiarity with C/C++ or other high‑level programming languages
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Creative thinker able to apply first‑principles reasoning to solve complex problems

Location

We are located in Hawthorne, CA in a 35,000 square‑foot, state‑of‑the‑art facility featuring large open spaces for team collaboration, R&D, and production, as well as easy access to the 405, 105, and 110 freeways. Our facility is in the heart of Los Angeles' vibrant emerging tech ecosystem alongside many other high‑growth startups and enterprises.

What We Offer

• We have an inclusive and diverse culture that values collaboration, learning, and making deliberate data‑driven decisions.
• We offer a unique opportunity to be an early and integral member of a rapidly growing company that is scaling a world‑changing technology.
• Benefits
  • Significant stock option packages
  • 100% employer‑paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (premium PPO and HMO options)
  • Life insurance
  • Traditional and Roth 401(k)
  • Relocation assistance provided
  • Paid vacation, sick leave, and company holidays
  • Generous Paid Parental Leave and extended transition back to work for the birthing parent
  • Free daily catered lunch and dinner, and fully stocked kitchenette
  • Casual dress, flexible work hours, and regular catered team building events
• Compensation
  • As a growing company, the salary range is intentionally wide as we determine the most appropriate package for each individual taking into consideration years of experience, educational background, and unique skills and abilities as demonstrated throughout the interview process. Our intent is to offer a salary that is commensurate for the company’s current stage of development and allows the employee to grow and develop within a role.
  • In addition to the significant stock option package, the estimated salary range for this role is $150,000‑$400,000+ (top of range reserved for individuals with outstanding experience, technical depth, and passion).
• Freeform is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values diversity; employment with Freeform is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.