FPGA Design Engineer

Overview

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross‑fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation.

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We are seeking a talented principal engineer to join the digital design team  successful candidate will contribute to FPGA development with an emphasis on architecture, design, simulation, and test/support. Candidate must have experience using high‑level design and simulation tools and be familiar with process flows supporting design and simulation for digital FPGA efforts. Applicant should also be familiar with embedded software development for FPGA SoCs.

The ideal candidate will be capable of working independently as well as collaborating and communicating effectively with team members from multiple engineering, program, and customer groups. As a principal member, you will have leadership opportunities and mentoring responsibilities. Preference will be given to candidates with an understanding of hardware security, signal or image processing, filter design, and algorithm implementation in hardware.

Direct experience with embedded FPGA design is required.

• Translate project and system requirements into well‑defined hardware architectures working with cross‑functional teams.
• Design and/or complete instruments including microprocessors, power, and analog components.
• Innovatively solve issues, drive completion of the project to schedule, and collaboratively work with other technical contributors.
• Build and test prototypes, debug, and prepare documentation for manufacturing and support.
• Research and enable innovative solutions for cutting‑edge designs.
• Engage other engineers and partners to develop reliable, cost‑effective and solutions for products.
• Collaborate and communicate with management, internal, and development partners regarding design status, project progress, and issue resolution.
• Independently execute assignments with minimal oversight.
• Able to apply technical knowledge to solve problems.
• Contribute high‑quality content for technical reports and presentations with minimal guidance.
• Proactively identify needs and concerns associated with design decisions and communicate them to project leadership.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Proficiency in electronic design, microprocessor or embedded computing.
• Understanding of design and general computer architecture.
• Ability to write detailed design specifications.
• Computer programming and coding abilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent mathematical skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with the proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks.
• Thorough understanding of engineering theories and procedures.

Bachelor's degree in Electronic or Electrical Engineering or related field. Master’s Degree preferred.

3–5 years of experience in Electronic or Electrical Engineering or related.

• Fluent in Verilog or VHDL
• Significant experience in FPGA Design / Development
• Familiarity with Xilinx Vivado and/or Microsemi Libero
• Digital simulation using Modelsim/Questa
• Significant experience with design closure including timing, power, and area for SWaP‑constrained designs
• Experience with high‑speed interfaces like SERDES, PCIe, DDR2/3/4, LVDS
• Experience implementing digital signal processing algorithms
• Strong analysis and problem‑solving skills
• Experience with scripting languages
• Excellent communication and teaming skills
• Self‑starter and a good team player
• Ability to mentor and willingness to be mentored
• Experience with Matlab/Simulink
• UVM skills (Test and/or Test Bench…