Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience
5+ years of FPGA development experience in DSP, SDR, radar, or real-time systems
Strong proficiency in VHDL, Verilog, and/or SystemVerilog
Hands-on experience with AMD/Xilinx development tools like Vivado
Proven ability to achieve timing closure in complex FPGA designs
Experience in implementing DSP components like filters, FFTs, and detectors
Familiarity with high-speed interfaces like JESD204B/C and data transfer protocols
Responsibilities
Own FPGA-based signal processing from RF samples to detection outputs
Develop wideband DSP pipelines for real-time processing across large bandwidths
Implement digital processing techniques like filtering, FFT processing, and adaptive thresholds
Build detection and timestamping mechanisms for various wireless signals
Extend processing capabilities directly in FPGA fabric
Create high-throughput data paths using modern communication interfaces
Design and manage coherent multichannel processing for localization efforts
Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) retirement plan with employer matching
Flexible work hours and remote work opportunities
Education and training reimbursement
Generous PTO policy including holidays and vacation days
Full Job Description
FPGA/DSP Engineer, Wideband Signal Processing - Build the Real-Time Core of Advanced RF Systems
Tampa, FL | On-site
Opportunity Summary
Join an early-stage defense technology company developing advanced RF sensing and electronic systems for demanding operational environments. The team builds its own hardware, firmware, and signal-processing architecture from the ground up, with systems already being evaluated and deployed by government and defense customers.
You will own the real-time signal-processing core of a wideband sensing platform. The system must process large amounts of spectrum at once, detect many simultaneous emitters in congested environments, and timestamp activity precisely enough to support geolocation. Rather than handing protocol processing to a separate processor, the team performs much of this work directly in FPGA fabric, including cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GNSS processing down to the frame and subframe level.
Job Duties
Own FPGA-based signal processing from digitized RF samples through detection outputs
Develop wideband DSP pipelines capable of processing large instantaneous bandwidths in real time
Implement digital downconversion, filtering, polyphase channelization, FFT processing, energy detection, adaptive thresholds, CFAR techniques, and burst detection
Build protocol-aware detection and timestamping for cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GNSS, and other wireless signals
Extend existing in-house processing that operates on protocol frames and subframes directly in FPGA fabric
Implement processing for 2G, 3G, LTE, and 5G signal environments where applicable
Develop precise hardware timestamping tied to disciplined timing references for distributed sensing and time-difference-of-arrival techniques
Build coherent multichannel processing that preserves phase information for angle-of-arrival and other localization methods
Partner with RF and geolocation engineers to maintain synchronization and signal integrity across multiple channels
Design high-throughput data paths using JESD204B/C, AXI, DMA, Ethernet, PCIe, or comparable interfaces
Support high-rate transfer of IQ data, detections, timestamps, and metadata to downstream processing systems
Partition workloads across FPGA fabric, embedded ARM processors, and edge compute hardware based on latency, bandwidth, and processing requirements
Drive timing closure on dense, high-utilization FPGA designs
Own simulation, verification, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and regression coverage
Develop and maintain bit-accurate reference models using Python, MATLAB, or similar tools
Debug designs directly on hardware using scopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and other RF test equipment
Reuse and adapt internal FPGA IP where it improves schedule without compromising performance or maintainability
Help establish reusable FPGA architecture, coding standards, and verification practices as the engineering team grows
Qualifications
BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience
5+ years of FPGA development experience focused on DSP, SDR, communications, radar, or similar real-time systems
