Principal FPGA Engineer

Date Posted: 2026-07-06 Country: United States of America Location: US-AL-HUNTSVILLE-315 ~ 315 Bob Heath Dr ~ BOB HEATH Position Role Type: Onsite U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements: The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance is required.​ U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance Security Clearance Type: DoD Clearance: Secret Security Clearance Status: Active and existing security clearance required after day 1 At Raytheon, the foundation of everything we do is rooted in our values and a higher calling - to help our nation and allies defend freedoms and deter aggression. We bring the strength of more than 100 years of experience and renowned engineering expertise to meet the needs of today's mission and stay ahead of tomorrow's threat. Our team solves tough, meaningful problems that create a safer, more secure world. The Effector Subsystems Products (ESP) department develops electronics for weapon system products. We engage at the outset of the weapon system development and follow our designs through deployment. Our products are deployed all over the world, from the ground to exoatmospheric environments and into space. We are responsible for the architecture, design, and documentation of deliverable FPGA embedded processing at Raytheon.  In this role as a Principal FPGA Engineer , you will lead development of FPGA designs for all major vendors and device families including AMD/Xilinx, Altera, and Microchip. Designs commonly support the following applications: gigabit serial interfaces, Radio Frequency (RF) and Electro-Optical (EO) DSP, controls, data links, embedded processing, and processor interfaces. Designers collaborate with circuit card designers and systems engineers to develop requirements, architecture, modeling of algorithms, partitioning, code development, simulation, and place and route. Designs are verified against requirements using both directed test and constrained random methodologies. Design support is expected from requirements definition through production release. Design documentation and configuration management are required.  What You Will Do Design and deliver production quality FPGA releases from initial proof of concept up to production  Work cooperatively with systems, hardware, software engineers, and program management to ensure product success  Lead FPGA-based systems architecture, and designs to include determination of parts, interfaces   Design and code in VHDL for reliability, maintainability, reviewability and reusability  Verify designs utilizing self-checking techniques with directed and constrained random tests, while tracking functional and code coverage   Solve problems that are numerous and typically undefined where information is difficult to obtain  Establish processes and operational plans for projects  Create complete documentation including requirements, verification plan, user’s guides and configuration management.   Design support from requirements definition through integration and test  Translate system level requirements into FPGA requirements   Perform and participate in internal and external technical reviews  Independently drive projects and execute to program schedules and budget  May lead large integrated or cross product teams on moderate to large multi-year programs  Qualification You Must Have   Typically requires a Bachelor’s Degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 8 years prior relevant experience Experience architecting FPGA-based systems to determine parts, interfaces  Minimum of 8 years of experience in at least 7 of the following categories:  Digital Design and HDL coding targeting configurable logic devices  Experience in delivering FPGA solutions to system level applications  Experience in one or more brands of (Altera, Lattice, Microchip, AMD) FPGA devices and associated tools  Experience with integration and debug of electronics using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, etc.  Experience with FPGA timing constraints and timing closure  Experience with digital simulation such as Questa, RivieraPro or similar tools  Experience with industry standard interfaces and protocols such as AXI, PCIe, SPI, I2C, etc.  Experience with Python or C programming  Experience working with Intellectual Property (IP) Cores  Qualifications We Prefer   Radar processing techniques  Image processing techniques for visual and infrared sensors  Gigabit serial interfaces and multi-gigabit transceivers (MGTs)  Experience with embedded processor and System on a Chip development for FPGA devices  Knowledge of embedded systems design using Microblaze, Nios or ARM processors a strong plus  FPGA design experience using a Linux-based development environment highly desired  Knowledge of git and GitHub  Knowledge of encryption/decryption standards such as AES, RSA, ECC, etc.  Embedded systems design using ARM processors  Verification utilizing hardware platforms  System level FPGA requirements specification and architecture development  Ability to identify links and potential impact on projects, programs, or systems  Cross-discipline knowledge such as software, systems, modeling, etc.  Highly motivated, high performers with a strong desire to learn and contribute in a fast-paced team environment  Self-directed – Able to complete tasks with minimum oversight  Practical knowledge of project management  Familiarity with the Linux environment and commands  Experience in a leadership role such as team lead, technical lead, project lead, etc.  Proposal experience to include basis of estimate generation, resource identification, and constraint-based program schedule planning  MS or Ph.D. in Electrical or Computer Engineering  What We Offer   Our values drive our actions, behaviors, and