Senior FPGA Engineer

Senior FPGA Engineer | Space | Chelmsford | Hybrid | Competitive salary & strong package.

We’re looking for a Principal FPGA Engineer to lead the design and development of advanced Front End Electronics (FEE) for cutting-edge space applications. You'll join a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team developing complete systems that include CMOS detectors, FPGA designs in VHDL, microcontrollers, and more—all destined for space missions lasting 5 years or longer.

If you're passionate about high-reliability FPGA design and want to build technology that is literally “out of this world”, we want to hear from you.

Responsibilities:

Take ownership of end-to-end FPGA development for our space-grade FEE systems.
Design with VHDL using Microchip Libero and Xilinx Vivado platforms.
Work closely with embedded software, electronics, and systems engineers to architect robust, space-ready solutions.
Perform functional and timing verification and develop self-checking test benches and simulations.
Contribute to bids and technical proposals, including trade-off studies and effort estimates.
Document every stage—from specifications to user manuals—with clarity and precision.Skills and experience:

3+ years of industrial FPGA design experience using VHDL.
Hands-on experience with Microchip Libero and/or Xilinx Vivado.
Confidence using lab test equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers).
Strong grasp of functional verification, timing constraints, and simulation techniques.
A passion for developing mission-critical systems that meet the challenges of space.
Space, Aerospace, or Defence-grade FPGA design.
ECSS-compliant development environments.
High-speed (Gigabit) transceivers and radiation-tolerant design techniques.
Space communication protocols such as SpaceWire, RMAP, or CCSDS.
UVVM methodology, DDR3/4 memory, AXI interfaces, or image processing.
Working knowledge of SVN for configuration control.What’s in it for you?

Competitive salary.
25 days annual leave plus bank holidays as standard – with the opportunity to purchase up to 5 days additional leave.
Additional time of in the period between Christmas and New Years.
37-hour week with flexible start and finish times, core hours between 9:00am and 15:30.
Competitive pension scheme with up to 6% company contribution.
Life Assurance - 4x Salary.
Medicash healthcare plan.
Free on-site parking.
Electric Car scheme.
Season ticket discountson Greater Anglia Trains.
Cycle to work scheme.
Numerous discountswith major retailers.
Free tea and coffee from vending machines on site.
Support your professional developmentwith a paid membership to a relevant professional body.
Access to mentors and trainingfor professional development