• Principal FPGA Engineer

    Actalent (Sterling, VA)


    Description

    Our client is seeking highly motivated individuals to join our team as we design and deliver space avionics and power systems —including batteries, power distribution, and flight computers —for leading satellite missions. The team works hands-on in a lab with real hardware and follows disciplined, innovative-driven engineering to deliver reliable, maintainable, flight-ready systems. The client is growing, and we have excellent opportunities for professional growth.

    Job Description:

    The Principal FPGA Engineer serves as one of our clients technical authorities for FPGA design and verification across products and missions. This role defines and enforces FPGA design standards, drives reuse and modularity across programs, and ensures that all FPGA releases meet flight quality, reliability, and verification expectations. The position requires deep technical expertise, system-level awareness, and the ability to mentor and guide teams to deliver robust, mission-critical designs.

    Responsibilities

    • Define and maintain company-wide FPGA development standards for HDL design, synthesis, timing, and verification.

    • Lead FPGA architecture, design, and verification activities for flight and ground systems.

    • Drive reuse, modularity, and configurability across FPGA platforms to improve maintainability and reduce verification effort.

    • Own key interface contracts and performance/error budgets between FPGA, software, and electrical domains.

    • Conduct design and readiness reviews; make go/no-go recommendations grounded in data and test coverage.

    • Lead investigations into rare or systemic failures and implement corrective design actions.

     

    e· Mentor junior and experienced engineers, providing guidance on design reviews, timing closure, and test methodology.

     

    • Support technical capture and proposals as a subject-matter expert in FPGA architecture and assurance.

     

    Skills

     

    power electronics, Vhdl

     

    Top Skills Details

     

    power electronics,Vhdl

     

    Additional Skills & Qualifications

    MUST HAVE

    - No less than 7 years of relevant industry experience

     

    - VHDL programming language experience

     

    - Experience designing power convertors for Space, Military Vehicles, or UAVs (power analog) (will not take someone that has experience with power grids for example)

     

    - Permanent Resident required (Export-controlled work)

     

    (This role gives hybrid flex but candidate but be local and locked down on coming onsite)

     

    - Will prioritize candidates from NG, Lockheed, or any smaller / mid size company that specializes on the power convertors (MV, UV, Space)

    Minimum Qualifications:

    • 10-15+ years of FPGA/RTL design and verification experience with flight or high-reliability systems.

    • Bachelor’s degree in electrical, Computer, or related Engineering field (master’s preferred; may substitute for 1 year).

    • Proven expertise in FPGA architecture, synthesis, timing closure, and verification flows.

    • Experience leading major FPGA subsystems and coordinating with software/electrical teams.

    • Strong communication skills and ability to lead technical reviews and mentor staff.

    Preferred Qualifications

    • Experience with radiation-tolerant design, SEU mitigation, and DO-254-like assurance processes.

    • Familiarity with formal verification and property checking tools.

    • System-level experience with firmware/software co-design and performance modeling.

    • Broad vendor experience (Microchip, Xilinx, Intel, Lattice, etc.)

    Experience Level

    Expert Level

     

    Job Type & Location

     

    This is a Contract position based out of Sterling, VA.

    Pay and Benefits

    The pay range for this position is $80.00 - $85.00/hr.

     

    Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

     

    • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

     

    Workplace Type

     

    This is a hybrid position in Sterling,VA.

     

    Application Deadline

     

    This position is anticipated to close on Dec 16, 2025.

    About Actalent

    Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

     

    The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

     

    If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing due to a disability, please email [email protected] (%[email protected]) for other accommodation options.