Principal FPGA Engineer

Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.

Thales Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) UK is a principal supplier of UAS, EW and Radar equipment to the UK armed forces, as well as an exporter of these capabilities worldwide. ISR is a highly complex product development environment, focusing on delivering cutting edge products including:

• Digital Radar Electronic Support Measures (RESM) that provides situational awareness and identification of threats even in busy electronic transmission environments.
• Radar Electronic Countermeasures (RECM) that can protect assets by denying tactical advantage and distracting incoming threats.

We’re recruiting for a Principal FPGA Engineer as part of a sustained expansion of the ISR team due to key programme awards in Electronic Warfare. We are looking for successful candidates to have demonstrable experience of Firmware within safety critical environments; defence experience is advantageous but not an essential requirement. You will ideally have experience interfacing with external customers as well as internal stakeholders and have held responsibility for firmware/FPGA development within complex systems.

The key responsibilities will include:

• Lead firmware development and deliver firmware projects to agreed time, cost and quality.
• Verify firmware using Hardware Verification Languages or Hardware Description languages.
• Design firmware using Hardware Description Languages.
• Enhancement of firmware related processes (documenting, scripting, reporting, process automation).
• Working closely with multi-disciplinary teams.

Desired knowledge, qualifications and experience:

• Strong communications, verbally and in writing.
• A relevant degree (BEng, MEng, EngD, PhD) and a membership or fellowship of a professional engineering body preferably with or working towards chartered status.
• Experience Leading Firmware design/architecture.
• Verification Test bench architecture with System Verilog or C++.
• Verification Methodology: Advanced VHDL verification or OSVVM/UVVM.
• Requirements Management: IBM Rationale DOORS.
• Simulation of designs using simulator tool: Mentor Graphics Modelsim / Questasim.
• Digital electronic design in hardware development languages: VHDL and either Verilog or System Verilog.
• Implementation of complex designs using any vendor specific development tools.
• Technologies: PCIe, Ethernet, Serial Comms, AXI4.
• Object Orientated design Techniques.
• Image processing techniques and algorithms.
• Algorithm development using development tool: MatLab.

Security Clearance Statement:

This role will require SC Clearance. It would be advantageous if currently held; however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant will undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance. To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. In some circumstances, a minimum of 3 years’ residence in the UK over the last 5 years may be accepted, with additional overseas checks.

Your career at Thales UK will allow you to discover other domains or sites. You will be able to evolve and grow your competencies in different areas:

• Room and attention to personal development.
• Build your talents in another domain of Thales Group, discovering new products, new customers, new country or go to a more complex Solution.
• Choose between a technical expertise or a leadership path.
• Build an international career within a leading Engineering Group.

What we can offer:

We are committed to giving you opportunities to be your best. We believe in embracing the passion and potential of our people, and to achieve this we offer market leading training, development and experiences, along with the opportunity to be mentored and coached by some of the smartest minds in the industry. We hire from within as our first priority, so you’ll have a myriad of opportunities within our diverse, global organisation.

Our packages will include significant bonus, a strong pension contribution, private healthcare, development focused targets and relocation support can be provided if required along with a variety of learning, development and career enhancement opportunities. Further support can be provided towards academic and membership attainments.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring. If this role isn’t quite right for you, we encourage you to join our talent community where your details will be shared with our recruitment teams for other potential opportunities.

Join Thales in the UK – Innovate with us and shape the future!