FPGA Firmware Engineer – High‑Speed SoC & VHDL (Hybrid) in Wickford

Your Impact:

At Leonardo, we are excited to be recruiting for a skilled FPGA Engineer to work within a multi-disciplinary team for our Precision Guidance area. In this broad FPGA firmware engineering role, you will work across a range of projects throughout various stages of the product lifecycle from initial concept development through to early life production. You will work with some of the latest high-speed FPGAs and System-on-Chips (SoCs) to help shape our future products. The role shall be based in Basildon with a primary focus on the design and development of embedded VHDL firmware for complex airborne electro-optics subsystems. You will be part of the Leonardo Airborne Communications product development group within the Integrated Sensing & Protection line of business, interacting with partner organisations, sub-contractors and potential customers.

What you will do:

• Firmware requirements capture and management.
• FPGA design and analysis.
• Production of documentation for other engineers and evidence for design reviews.
• Development of FPGA test and FPGA integration plans.
• Perform system integration work with PCB designers and embedded software engineers.
• Support all firmware designs through the company firmware process – training will be given.
• Modification of existing firmware designs and test benches.

What we are looking for:

What you really must have:

• Experience using FPGA technologies especially from either Xilinx, Microsemi (Actel) or Lattice and their tools.
• Advanced verification techniques using either VHDL or System Verilog/UVM.
• Specifying complex timing and area constraints for efficient FPGA place and route.
• Ability to analyse system level requirements and derive detailed Firmware requirements.
• A methodical approach to the full firmware design lifecycle, working to a structured firmware process such as RTCA DO-254 or similar.
• Experience of working on safety related firmware to IEC 61508 would be advantageous.
• De-bugging firmware designs and supporting verification and integration at hardware and system level alongside Software and Hardware Engineers.
• Making technical decisions and mitigating technical risk for Firmware design activities.
• Ability to communicate effectively across different disciplines both verbally and in written form.
• Familiarity with Siemens EDA FPGA development tools including HDL Designer and ModelSim/Questa is an advantage.

It would be nice if you had:

• Awareness of Safety, Security and other legislative constraints.
• Engineering experience with electro-optic systems – e.g. cameras, thermal imagers and/or image processing systems/algorithms.
• Experience of mentoring more junior members of the team.

Security Clearance:

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV).

Life at Leonardo:

With a company funded benefits package, a commitment to learning and development, and a flexible approach to working hours focused on the needs of both our employees and customers, a career with Leonardo has never offered as many opportunities or been more accessible to as many people.

• Flexible Working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options.
• Company funded flexible benefits: Access to private healthcare, dental schemes, Workplace ISA, Go Green Car Scheme, technology and lifestyle options (£500 annual allowance).
• Holidays: 25 days plus bank holidays, option to buy/sell leave and to accrue up to 12 additional flexi leave days per year.
• Pension: Award winning pension scheme (up to 15% employer contribution).
• Wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme with access to free mental health support, financial wellbeing support and network groups to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to diversity & inclusion.
• Lifestyle: Discounted Gym membership, Cycle to work scheme.
• Training: Free access to more than 4000 online courses via Coursera and Linkedin Learning.
• Referral Incentive: You can earn a reward for successfully referring a friend or family member.
• Bonus: Scheme in place for all employees at management level and below.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website. Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

Primary Location: GB - Basildon

Contract Type: Employee-Permanent

Hybrid Working: Hybrid