Senior Firmware Engineer in Edinburgh

Role Overview

The
Senior / Principal Firmware Engineer
will be responsible for the design, development, and verification of FPGA firmware using VHDL, with additional verification tasks in VHDL or SystemVerilog.

Key Responsibilities

The engineer will collaborate closely with Systems, Hardware, and Software teams to deliver robust firmware solutions and resolve integration challenges within complex systems.

Responsibilities include:

• Designing and implementing innovative, reliable VHDL-based firmware solutions
• Documenting and maintaining detailed design deliverables
• Verifying firmware designs using simulation and test methodologies
• Managing configuration control and maintaining version traceability
• Providing progress updates and supporting project reporting activities

Essential Skills and Experience

• Minimum of
  5 years\’ experience
  developing firmware using VHDL or Verilog
• Proficiency with FPGA development tools such as
  HDL Designer, ModelSim/Questa, and Precision
• Familiarity with FPGA toolchains from
  Xilinx, Intel (Altera), or Microsemi (Actel)
• Ability to interpret system or hardware-level requirements and derive detailed firmware specifications
• Strong debugging skills for firmware and integration at both hardware and system levels
• Understanding of firmware configuration management and revision control practices
• Ability to coordinate day-to-day technical tasks, collaborating effectively with engineering leads and cross-discipline teams
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience with
  Linux environments
  and scripting languages
• Proficiency in producing technical documentation and reports

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience developing
  real-time or safety-critical firmware
  , ideally to
  RTCA/DO-254 DAL A or B
  standards
• Familiarity with
  requirements capture and management tools
• Prior experience in
  Aerospace, Defence, or similar high-reliability industries
• Knowledge of
  embedded processor cores
  (e.g. ARM) within FPGA designs
• Experience with
  independent verification
  using
  VHDL or SystemVerilog/UVM
• Awareness of
  modern FPGA device families
  and architectures
• Understanding of
  high-speed serial communication protocols
  and implementation techniques

Qualifications and Security Requirements

• Bachelor\’s degree (or equivalent)
  in Electronics Engineering or a related STEM discipline
• UK citizenship
  is required to obtain security clearance (SC)
• Existing SC clearance
  is advantageous