Senior VHDL FPGA Engineer

Company: Leonardo DRS
Apply for the Senior VHDL FPGA Engineer
Location: Basildon
Job Description:

Overview

In this role you will engineer embedded VHDL firmware for airborne electro-optics, contributing across the product lifecycle. You’ll work with leading FPGA/SoC devices and collaborate with cross-functional teams to shape future products. You’ll translate system requirements into firmware, drive design reviews, and support integration and verification in a safety-conscious environment. This opportunity combines hands-on FPGA work with system-level collaboration and a clear impact on mission-critical platforms.

Pay / Benefits

  • Hybrid working
  • Private healthcare
  • Pension scheme
  • Training: 4000+ courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning
  • Flexible hours
  • Further benefits listed on company site

Responsibilities

  • Firmware requirements capture and management
  • FPGA design and analysis
  • Production of design documentation and evidence for design reviews
  • Development of FPGA test and integration plans
  • System integration work with PCB designers and embedded software engineers
  • Support firmware designs through the company firmware process (training provided)
  • Modification of existing firmware designs and test benches

Key requirements

  • Experience with FPGA technologies (Xilinx, Microsemi/Actel, or Lattice) and their tools
  • Advanced verification techniques using VHDL or SystemVerilog/UVM
  • Ability to specify complex timing and area constraints for FPGA place-and-route
  • Deriving detailed firmware requirements from system-level requirements
  • Structured firmware lifecycle experience (DO-254 or similar)
  • Experience with safety-related firmware (IEC 61508 advantageous)
  • Debugging firmware and supporting hardware/system-level verification and integration
  • Strong cross-disciplinary communication skills
  • Familiarity with Siemens EDA tools (HDL Designer, ModelSim/Questa) is a plus
  • Effective communication across disciplines
  • Methodical, structured problem-solving
  • Mentoring capabilities (nice to have)
  • FPGA design and verification
  • VHDL / SystemVerilog / UVM
  • Timing and area constraint specification

Posted: September 14th, 2026