FPGA Engineer; m​/f​/d – Digital Front-End & Waveform Generation

FPGA Engineer (m/f/d) – Digital Front-End & Real-Time Waveform Generation

Location:

Ditzingen SRA OME, Germany

Thales in Germany is part of an internationally leading technology group in the defence and security, aerospace as well as cyber security and digital identity markets.

In Ditzingen, you will encounter security solutions for monitoring and safeguarding borders and for border controls, protection of civil and military facilities and tactical communication. This is the right place for you if you want to work with us on practical highly mobile radars for ground and coastal monitoring or night vision goggles and multifunctional heat imaging equipment. Join the Thales expert team for radar, optronic vision systems for armoured military vehicles or for protecting the field camps of the German Armed Forces.

We are happy to have you on board!

Your mission as FPGA Engineer (m/f/d):

As FPGA Engineer you own the digital front-end of our sensor demonstrators: you design, implement and deploy real-time waveform generation and high-throughput data acquisition chains on modern heterogeneous SoC platforms that combine programmable logic with embedded multi-core processors. You turn algorithm specifications into deterministic, cycle-accurate hardware – from the digital interface of the RF front-end to the high-rate data link feeding the downstream processing chain and thereby lay the foundation the entire team builds on.

• Real-time waveform generation & data acquisition:
  Implement real-time waveform generation, timing, trigger and sequencing logic (pulse scheduling, coherent timing control) in programmable logic and integrate high-speed data converters and their digital interfaces including multi-channel synchronization and deterministic latency

• Digital signal pre-processing in the FPGA fabric:
  Implement digital down-/up-conversion, filtering, decimation/interpolation and calibration corrections and fixed-point design and bit-true verification against reference models provided by the algorithm team

• Hardware/software co-design & platform integration:
  Define processor/fabric partitioning, DMA-based data movement and memory-mapped control interfaces towards embedded Linux and collaborate with the embedded software engineers on register maps, drivers and board bring-up

• Verification & lab work:
  Develop simulation test benches, achieve timing closure, perform on-target debugging with lab equipment (logic analyzers, signal generators, spectrum analyzers)

• Documentation & reviews:
  Document designs and interfaces and contribute to design reviews in line with our development process

We are looking forward to:

• Completed technical studies, e.g. in computer science or electronical engineering

• Strong RTL design experience (VHDL and/or Verilog/System Verilog), including simulation and verification methodology

• Hands-on experience with SoC FPGAs combining programmable logic and embedded processors, including the corresponding vendor tool chains and build flows

• High-speed interfaces and on-chip buses: AXI-class interconnects, DMA, multi-gigabit serial links / JESD
  204-class converter interfaces

• Solid fundamentals of digital signal processing and fixed-point arithmetic

• High-Level Synthesis (HLS) experience for DSP datapaths advantageous

• Embedded Linux integration (device trees, boot flow, vendor build systems) advantageous

• Background in software-defined radio, radar or other coherent RF sensing systems advantageous

• Experience with timing and synchronization concepts in multi-channel/multi-board systems advantageous

• Strong team and communication skills in a small, interdisciplinary prototyping team

• Analytical and structured way of thinking and working

• Self-directed, proactive working style with a high level of ownership

• Precision and quality awareness, especially in verification and interface definition

• Pragmatic, hands-on prototyping mindset – willingness to iterate fast and learn from hardware

• Willingness to travel for integration and measurement campaigns (~15%)

• Very good German and English skills

The Group invests more than €4,5 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies.

In 2025, the Group generated sales of €22.1 billion. For our more than 85,000 employees in 65 countries we open up visionary perspectives, realise individual career paths and enable creative freedom. This is achieved with courage, versatility and the firm intention to make the demanding challenges of our time safer and more inclusive. With our sustainable value-focused management we support diversity actively.

Say HI* – Your journey to us

At times of change our international teams are ready to meet the complexity of today with the industry-leading technologies of tomorrow. Will you be part of it? Your Talent Acquisition contact Maria Gaissert is looking forward to your online application.

Maria Gaissert – Talent Acquisition Partner