Senior/Principal FPGA Firmware Engineer, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
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• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

Ready to join a dynamic & diversely skilled team that solves significant issues for our nation's security? Are you passionate about advanced embedded computer systems, software, firmware, or testing of systems to ensure integrity of electronic components in support of our National Defense and security? If so, we invite you to explore this opportunity to join our impactful team and make a difference.

Department 5325, Flight Systems and Avionics is seeking an experienced FPGA Firmware Engineer to enhance our diverse engineering team. The position is ideal for individuals eager to design, develop, and create advanced embedded systems which utilize state of the art FPGA and MpSOC processor electronics.

Job Summary: We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced FPGA Firmware Engineer to join our engineering team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in FPGA firmware design and development, with a proven track record of delivering high-quality firmware solutions. The role involves architecting, implementing and testing FPGA Firmware projects. Additional duties may include collaborating with cross-functional teams and mentoring junior engineers to drive innovation and excellence in our products.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and implement firmware for a variety of electronic components, electronic component testers, and electronic systems.
• Lead the architecture and design of firmware solutions, ensuring they meet performance, power, timing, and resource utilization requirements.
• Collaborate with electronic hardware engineers to define system specifications and integrate firmware with hardware components.
• Write, simulate, and test HDL (VHDL, Verilog) software, ensuring robust and efficient implementations.
• Conduct debugging and performance optimization of FPGA firmware, utilizing the Xilinx or Intel tool chain.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers, fostering a culture of learning and collaboration.
• Document design processes, test plans, and technical specifications, ensuring compliance with industry standards.
• Stay current with advancements in FPGA technology and digital design methodologies.
• Project estimation and tracking of budget and schedule

$114,000 - $227,500

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to obtain and maintain DOE Q-level security clearance.

The ideal R&D S&E Electrical Engineering candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Ability to work independently and collaborate well in a multidisciplinary team of designers and test engineers.
• Outstanding verbal and written skills, including the ability to develop and present briefings that are clear and compelling.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:

• 5+ years of experience in FPGA firmware development, with a strong portfolio of completed projects.
• Proficiency in hardware description languages (VHDL/Verilog) and FPGA development tools (e.g., Xilinx Vivado, Intel Quartus).
• Experience with software development in C/C++ or Python, able to use software to test firmware.
• Familiarity with communication protocols (e.g., SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet).
• Knowledge of version control systems (e.g., Git) and agile development methodologies.
• Experience with PetaLinux a plus.
• Experience with digital signal processing (DSP) techniques and implementations on FPGA platforms is a plus.

The Flight Systems and Avionics (5325) Department developments and delivers innovative advanced avionic flight components and systems in support of critical programs at Sandia National Labs. These avionics systems target multiple applications that include computing solutions for Vehicle Navigation, Pointing, Control, Hardware in the loop testing, Specialized Radars and Hypersonic systems. Our department specializes in reconfigurable modular digital signal processing systems utilizing state of the art FPGA technology and general-purpose microprocessors.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.