Principal/Sr. Principal Embedded FPGA Engineer

The Launch and Missile Defense Systems (LMDS) division within Northrop Grumman Space Systems is seeking a Principal/Sr. Principal Embedded Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Software Engineer. We are excited for you to join our team of qualified and diverse individuals. Our domain provides rewarding work that contributes to the latest advancements being made in the missile defense industry. The position is located in Boulder, CO.  Boulder is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and only 25 miles from downtown Denver.

Position Overview:

As an Embedded FPGA Engineer within Advanced Programs, your experience in digital signal processing, modeling and simulation, and circuit level design and test will assist in the research, development, and growth of complex algorithm solutions. You will be working with digital subsystems and circuit card designs that utilize your familiarity with digital logic circuit design, coding, test bench development, and verification. You are expected to communicate technical information effectively and clearly, present technical approaches and findings, and report status to colleagues including customers and program management.

The Advanced Programs Team looks for people who have bold new ideas, courage, and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, but they are also making history.

Essential Functions:

• Utilizing the FGPA fabric for advanced algorithms.
• Research, requirements analysis, systems architecture, design, coding, test bench design, verification, synthesis, and place and route for digital signal processing products.
• Supporting embedded processing and processor interfaces.
• Work in cross-discipline teams and communicate clearly across various levels of engineers.
• Technical documentation as required.

This position may be filled at either a Principal or a Sr. Principal Level based on the qualifications listed below.

Basic Qualifications:

• Principal Level: Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline preferred from an accredited university and 5 years of related experience or a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of experience, or a PhD and 0 years of experience, or 9 years of related experience in lieu of a degree.
• Sr. Principal Level: Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline preferred from an accredited university and 9 years of related experience, or a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 7 years experience, or a PhD and 4 years of experience, or 13 years of related experience in lieu of a degree.
• Experience with register transfer level (RTL) coding for FPGAs or ASICs.
• Ability to read and understand Integrated Circuit (IC) data sheets.
• Experience developing in Linux environments.
• Experience with Xilinx architectures and design tools (Xilinx Vivado, Vitis).
• Proficiency in high-level synthesis (Xilinx Vivado HLS) with C++
• Familiarity with revision control, documentation, planning, and review systems like Git/SVN/ClearCase
• Ability and willingness to travel up-to 10% to support business needs.
• Applicants must have a current active in-scope U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance which is required to start.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with high-level scripting languages (Python).
• Implementation of Digital Signal Processing or Image Processing algorithms.
• Experience with tracking algorithms.
• Experience with Xilinx Versal ACAP AI Engines
• Direct experience using the AI/ML, NPU, or GPU cores for machine learning or neural networks.
• Familiarity working with Atlassian ecosystem tools.

The health and safety of our employees and their families is a top priority. The company encourages employees to remain up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. U.S. Northrop Grumman employees may be required, in the future, to be vaccinated or have an approved disability/medical or religious accommodation, pursuant to future court decisions and/or government action on the currently stayed federal contractor vaccine mandate under Executive Order 14042 https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/contractors/.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO/AA and Pay Transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions.