Senior FPGA Architect

Job Title: Senior FPGA Architect
Location: North Reading, MA
Duration: 12 month contract
Payrate: $75 to $120 per hour

Job Description:
We are seeking a Senior FPGA Architect to play a key role in architecting and delivering high-performance FPGA-based solutions at the heart of our test platforms. This role involves working at the intersection of FPGA design, board-level hardware, and system architecture—solving complex problems involving high-speed interfaces, tight timing margins, and system-level constraints.
You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and deliver robust, scalable solutions that directly impact the quality and performance of cutting-edge semiconductor devices.

Responsibilities

• Drive FPGA design from architecture through implementation and bring-up, including requirements definition and trade-off analysis
• Architect and implement high-performance FPGA solutions involving complex interfaces and subsystem integration
• Partner closely with hardware, software, and system engineering teams to deliver cohesive system-level solutions
• Lead timing closure, resource optimization, and performance tuning for advanced FPGA designs
• Define and execute validation strategies, including lab bring-up, debug, and root cause analysis using JTAG and lab instrumentation
• Contribute to PCB and system design decisions impacting FPGA performance and integration
• Develop automation and debug tools using scripting (TCL, Python) to improve design and validation workflows

• 8+ years of hands-on experience in FPGA design and development
• Deep expertise in Verilog/SystemVerilog for design and debugging
• Proven experience with AMD (Xilinx) and/or Client FPGA toolchains, including synthesis, implementation, and timing closure
• Strong understanding of digital design fundamentals and ability to interpret schematics
• Experience with high-speed interfaces such as PCIe, DDR, SerDes, or similar
• Demonstrated ability to bring up and debug FPGA designs on hardware platforms
• Experience with protocols such as AXI4, USB, I2C, SPI
• Scripting proficiency (TCL, Python) for automation and tooling
• Experience with version control systems and collaborative development workflows
• Experience with SystemVerilog-based verification methodologies (UVM or similar)
• Familiarity with FPGA SoCs and embedded processor subsystems
• Strong system-level thinking and ability to debug across FPGA, board, and software boundaries
• Ability to balance architectural decisions with implementation constraints