Job Description

Principal Firmware Engineer (FPGA) 1701

Location: Edinburgh (primarily onsite, with limited remote working)
Duration: 12 Months (Inside IR35)
Rate: £70 per hour Umbrella

We seek an engineer with recent high-integrity or safety-critical industry experience (defence, aerospace, or similar), or eligible for UK security clearance.

Overview

An opportunity has arisen for a Principal Firmware Engineer to join a multidisciplinary engineering team developing advanced FPGA and firmware solutions for complex, high-performance electronic systems.

The role covers the full development lifecycle, including requirements capture, architecture development, FPGA design, integration, verification, and qualification activities. The successful candidate will provide technical leadership, support engineering best practice, and contribute to the development of next-generation digital systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development of FPGA and firmware solutions for complex electronic systems.
• Capture, analyse, and manage hardware and firmware requirements.
• Develop architectural concepts and technical solutions for advanced system functionality.
• Perform FPGA design, implementation, analysis, and optimisation.
• Produce technical documentation and support formal design reviews.
• Define and execute integration, verification, and test strategies.
• Ensure compliance with established firmware development processes and standards.
• Collaborate with hardware, software, systems, and verification teams throughout the development lifecycle.
• Mentor and support junior engineers.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Physics, or a related engineering/science discipline.
• Strong FPGA design and development experience.
• Experience with FPGA technologies from major vendors such as Xilinx, Intel (Altera), or Microchip (Microsemi).
• Proven experience in requirements capture and management.
• Experience developing test plans, integration activities, and design verification processes.
• Ability to define and develop complex system and firmware concepts.
• Experience preparing and presenting technical material for design reviews.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills within multidisciplinary teams.

Desirable Skills

• VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog, and UVM experience.
• MATLAB/Simulink and model-based design methodologies.
• FPGA simulation, verification, and design tools.
• Requirements management and traceability tools.
• Experience within regulated, safety-critical, aerospace, defence, or similar engineering environments.