Project/Unit Description

The Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Engineer position in the Applied Embedded Systems (AES) division of the Electronic Systems Laboratory (ELSYS) will support multiple research products and projects in concert with development teams who are building complex, multi-faceted embedded and electronic systems. AES predominantly focuses on the research, development, testing, and deployment of embedded electronic and electromechanical systems. These systems provide our sponsors with technological solutions in the fields of Electronic Warfare (EW), command and control, communications, avionics, entertainment, physiological monitoring, and other applications

Job Purpose

The Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Engineer supports the design, development, and implementation of a wide variety of functionality and algorithms in programmable hardware using the latest high-speed/high-density FPGAs and System-on-Chips (SoC) technologies. The FPGA Engineer completes tasks such as high bandwidth data collection, digital signal processing, data manipulation, custom interfaces, and SoC processor interaction. In addition, the FPGA Engineer's responsibilities typically include analyzing system and functional requirements in order to design, develop, and validate firmware for very high-speed integrated circuits using a Hardware Description Language (VHDL, Verilog). Additionally, the FPGA Engineer defines interface requirements and designs implementations for data converter chips. The FPGA engineer is also responsible for modeling and simulating the design in a test bench environment for validation purposes.

Key Responsibilities

• Implements architectures to solve complex problems in high-speed, high-bandwidth applications
• Perform firmware development using a Hardware Description Language (VHDL, Verilog)
• Develop test bench models to simulate and validate designs
• Integrate system components and support equipment in a laboratory setting
• Serve as the primary author of technical reports and presentations, and lead team review of final deliverable
• Serve as the primary author of pertinent white papers, and competitive proposals, and provides technical vision to sponsors
• Take ownership of moderate team development, mentoring others

Additional Responsibilities

• Analyze system and functional requirements to develop engineering solutions
• Design, develop, and validate of firmware (VHDL, Verilog)
• Develop test benches and simulations to test and validate designs
• Integrate system components and support equipment in laboratory and fielded settings
• Serve as a technical expert on assigned projects and systems to include keeping up-to-date on industry standards, system interfaces, engineering tools, and road maps for current and future updates
• Participate in technical meetings with GTRI and sponsor personnel
• Lead teams of engineers as Task Lead
• Mentor junior engineers
• Develop technical papers for conferences, speak publicly, and present briefings to potential customers
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Direct experience with Xilinx/AMD or Altera/Intel FPGAs or equivalent
• Direct experience using VHDL or Verilog or equivalent
• Experience using HDL simulation tools and test benches (any vendor)
• Experience with debug and test, including in-circuit (e.g. JTAG) debuggers
• Experience developing a mixed clock domain design (two or more independent clocks)
• Experience developing timing constraints
• Experience developing custom hardware, delivering to an external customer
• Experience developing a high speed design (greater than 100 MHz clock rate)
• Experience using test equipment, (e.g. oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, logic analyzer)
• Experience with engineering process, including requirements, design, implementation, integration, and test
• Experience integrating on a team with other disciplines, including hardware and embedded software
• Experience participating in customer reviews (e.g. Critical Design Review)
• Task Lead experience, or mentoring, guiding two or more engineers

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Secret Clearance
• Experience with embedded processors such as Microblaze, Nios, or FPGA SoC
• Experience with complex IP, (e.g. Ethernet, AXI, PCIe, DDRx memory, partial reconfiguration, high speed serial (faster than 1 GHz))
• Experience with embedded software (e.g. C/C++)
• Experience with Digital Signal Processing algorithm design and implementation
• Experience with high speed digital sampling and processing of RF signals, (e.g. sample rate faster than 1 GHz)
• Experience developing systems for military or high reliability applications

Travel Requirements

<10% travel

Education and Length of Experience

This position vacancy is an open-rank announcement. The final job offer will be dependent on candidate qualifications in alignment with Research Faculty Extension Professional ranks as outlined in section 3.2.1 of the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook

• 9 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, or other engineering/science related fields of study
• 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor's and Masters’ degree with one or both in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, or other engineering/science related fields of study
• 4 years of related experience with a Bachelor', Master's and Ph.D. with at least one in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, or other engineering/science related fields of study

U.S. Citizenship Requirements

Due to our research contracts with the U.S. federal government, candidates for this position must be U.S. Citizens.

Clearance Type Required

Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain an active security clearance.

Benefits at GTRI

Comprehensive information on currently offered GTRI benefits, including Health & Welfare, Retirement Plans, Tuition Reimbursement, Time Off, and Professional Development, can be found through this link: https://hr.gatech.edu/benefits

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