FPGA Development Engineer in Farnborough

Location: Hampshire

Sector: Technology and Communications/ Defence

Salary: £80,000 Plus a Bonus

Security Clearance: You must be eligible to obtain UK SC Clearance

Holt Engineering is representing a leading technology and communications organisation that is expanding its UK engineering team to support growing opportunities across the UK and European markets. Due to continued growth, our client is seeking an experienced FPGA Development Engineer to join a multidisciplinary engineering team working on a range of cyber security, information assurance and secure communications projects. This is an opportunity to contribute to the design and development of advanced FPGA-based solutions used within highly secure environments.

The Role

As an FPGA Development Engineer, you will be involved throughout the full development lifecycle, from requirements capture and system architecture through to implementation, verification, integration and production release. You will take ownership of FPGA solutions, ensuring technical requirements and project objectives are delivered successfully. The role involves working on complex FPGA designs incorporating both industry-standard and bespoke interfaces and protocols.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the delivery of FPGA solutions from concept through to production.
• Lead requirements analysis and define FPGA implementation strategies.
• Develop and maintain FPGA architectures in collaboration with the wider engineering team.
• Work closely with project managers to develop plans and ensure successful delivery.
• Provide technical leadership and support to other FPGA engineers where required.
• Manage relationships with FPGA and IP suppliers.
• Develop test benches and perform verification activities.
• Conduct FPGA integration, testing and debugging within hardware environments.
• Support technical proposals, project estimates and future technology roadmaps when required.

Requirements

• Proven experience delivering FPGA designs through the complete development lifecycle.
• Strong FPGA design and verification experience using VHDL.
• Experience optimising designs for performance, resource utilisation and power consumption.
• Hands‑on experience integrating and debugging FPGA solutions in hardware.
• Experience using configuration management and version control systems.
• Familiarity with FPGA development tools and synthesis environments.
• Experience with ModelSim or QuestaSim for verification and simulation.

Desirable Skills

• Requirements management using DOORS.
• Experience with Microchip FPGA devices and Libero design tools.
• Knowledge of SmartFusion, IGLOO or PolarFire FPGA families.
• Understanding of PCIe, NVMe and FPGA implementation techniques.
• Experience with Xilinx or Intel (Altera) FPGA platforms and toolchains.
• Integration and utilisation of third‑party IP cores.
• Secure hardware design and design‑for‑security principles.
• Embedded firmware development using C, C++ or assembler.
• Knowledge of cryptographic standards and algorithms.
• Strong understanding of FPGA integration within complex hardware systems.

What's on Offer

• Opportunity to work on cutting‑edge secure technology projects.
• Involvement in highly complex FPGA developments across multiple programmes.
• Collaborative multidisciplinary engineering environment.
• Career development within a growing and innovative organisation.