FPGA System Architect

NRAO Central Development Lab, 1180 Boxwood Estate Rd, CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, United States of America

Position

Description:

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a prestigious research and development organization that plays a vital role in the study of the universe. Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) is a nonprofit organization that manages and operates the NRAO under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. The Observatory is a hub for technological and scientific collaboration, operating state‑of‑the‑art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community.

The Observatory has been instrumental in the study of black holes, galaxies, and the early universe.

The Central Development Laboratory (CDL) at the NRAO is seeking an experienced FPGA System Architect to join its digital design team. The engineer will lead the technical execution, integration, and deployment of a digital signal processing system for a next‑generation radio telescope synthesis array, guiding the system through implementation, design reviews, integration, and operational deployment while supporting requirements refinement as needed.

CDL's digital design team develops advanced digital signal processing systems that enable radio astronomy research, supporting scientific studies of galaxy formation, the origins of stars and planets, and black holes.

The selected candidate will lead the technical development and execution of FPGA‑based systems, with an emphasis on high‑throughput digital signal processing, including digitized receiver data acquisition, calibration processing, and frequency channelization. The role combines system‑level technical ownership with hands‑on FPGA development responsibilities, including RTL development and system integration activities as required.

Working within a small, centralized team, the engineer will collaborate across internal groups and provide technical leadership for systems shared with the international scientific community. The role requires strong time management, the ability to manage multiple concurrent efforts, effective cross‑disciplinary communication, and the ability to balance system‑level ownership with hands‑on development responsibilities.

The location for this position will be based at the Central Development Laboratory in Charlottesville, Virginia.

• Lead the architecture, design, integration, and deployment of the antenna‑side FPGA‑based digital signal processing system from ADC input through channelized output
• Lead work package planning, technical scheduling, and execution tracking
• Define subsystem decomposition, interfaces, and data flow across FPGA processing elements, embedded software, timing and synchronization systems, digitizers, and external data transport systems
• Execute subsystem development against system requirements and support requirements refinement and change requests during system development
• Define and evaluate implementation tradeoffs involving FPGA resource utilization, latency, throughput, timing margins, and implementation complexity
• Define and guide implementation of FPGA‑based processing functions, including receiver calibration and frequency channelization
• Contribute to FPGA implementation activities including RTL development, verification, timing analysis, and system integration, as required
• Lead subsystem design reviews and contribute to system‑level design reviews
• Coordinate technical activities across FPGA, embedded software, and related engineering efforts within the work package
• Provide technical direction and task coordination for engineering staff and external collaborators
• Document system architectures, interfaces, design decisions, and verification approaches clearly

Work is mission driven, team oriented and typically performed in an office setting within a research or development environment.

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field
• Eight years of experience developing complex FPGA‑based digital signal processing systems
• Experience leading the architecture, development, integration, and deployment of…