FPGA Design Engineer

Job Title/Code: FPGA Design Engineer; Job Code: RD400

Department: Engineering

Reports To: Engineering Manager

Job Type: Full-Time, Exempt

Location: Concord, CA (On-Site)

Position Summary:

EMCORE is seeking an FPGA Design Engineer to lead FPGA-based logic and firmware development for our high-performance inertial sensing systems. You will design, verify, and implement FPGA logic and the firmware that runs alongside it, working closely with hardware, systems, and manufacturing teams to bring designs from first prototype through volume production. This is a hands-on engineering role suited to someone who enjoys solving hard timing, verification, and firmware-integration problems across the full product life cycle, and who is comfortable supporting system integration, bring-up, and debug in the lab. Exposure to board-level hardware design is a plus, but the core focus of this role is FPGA and firmware. This 100% in-office role is based at the Quartz MEMS (QMEMS) facility in Concord, CA and will occasionally support EMCORE''s Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG) facility in Tinley Park, IL. Expected travel frequency is <10%.

Key Responsibilities:

FPGA Design & Development

• Design, develop, and test FPGA firmware and digital logic using VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog.
• Architect SoC-based solutions using industry-standard tools (Xilinx ISE, Vivado, Intel/Altera Quartus, Microsemi Libero IDE) and simulation environments (ModelSim) to meet project requirements.
• Implement FPGA-based digital signal processing components (digital filters, transforms, multipliers, and other mathematical operations) and embedded software for FPGA-based systems.
• Optimize FPGA implementations for speed, power, and resource utilization.

Verification & Validation

• Conduct simulation, verification, and debugging of FPGA designs, decomposing requirements to ensure traceability to digital design verification tests.
• Support system integration, hardware bring-up, and testing, using lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, multimeters, temperature chambers) to debug and resolve issues.

Manufacturing & Production Support

• Assist with early-build fabrication support, help transfer designs into manufacturing, and support the scale-up to full production volume.
• Apply DFM/DFT principles and support manufacturing test development and EMC compliance activities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Documentation

• Collaborate with firmware, hardware, and systems teams to ensure seamless integration of FPGA logic and firmware across the full product life cycle, from concept through production.
• Develop and maintain documentation for FPGA and firmware designs, implementations, and test results, and ensure compliance with industry standards and best practices.
• Perform a wide range of complex engineering work with minimal supervision.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor''s or Master''s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in FPGA design/simulation and firmware development for embedded systems.
• Proficiency in VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog for FPGA design.
• Experience with FPGA development tools (Xilinx Vivado, Microsemi/Actel Libero IDE, Intel/Altera Quartus, Lattice) and SoC devices (e.g., Microchip PolarFire).
• Strong understanding of embedded systems and real-time programming, with proficiency in C/C++ for firmware development.
• Experience with signal processing and high-speed communication interfaces (Min: SPI, I2C; preferred: PCIe, Ethernet).
• Ability to design and implement advanced DSP algorithms.
• Knowledge of FPGA verification and testing methodologies.
• Exceptional problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively, and excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship (U.S. citizenship or Permanent Residence).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience designing mixed-signal hardware circuits, including ADCs/DACs, clock circuits, filters, high-speed memory (DDR), and communication interfaces.
• Familiarity with schematic review, component selection, board-level architecture, and PCB-level signal integrity and timing practices.
• Experience with SoC FPGA architecture and development utilizing AI/ML acceleration.
• Proficiency in Python; knowledge of MATLAB for simulation and analysis.
• Familiarity with design-for-manufacturability and design-for-test practices, production test development, and EMC compliance requirements.
• Experience supporting products from prototype through volume production.
• Understanding of inertial navigation systems.
• This job description is not an exclusive or exhaustive list of all job functions that an employee in this position may be asked to perform from time to time. Emcore reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

This position offers a salary range of $130K - $185K annually, depending on the candidate''s experience, skill set, and overall qualifications.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

Separate from employment eligibility verification (Form I-9), this position requires access to technology, software, and hardware controlled under U.S. export regulations (ITAR/EAR), consistent with the U.S. citizenship or Permanent Residence requirement stated above.