{"id":2000872,"url":"https://alion.io/job/fairwinds-technologies-entry-level-fpga-engineer-onsite-aberdeen-maryland","title":"Entry Level- FPGA Engineer (Onsite- Aberdeen, Maryland)","company":{"id":3908095,"name":"Fairwinds Technologies","domain":"fairwinds-tech.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/fairwinds-technologies","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"ADP","truth_index":null},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"junior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Aberdeen, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":75000,"max":85000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":85000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Cocotb","optional":false},{"name":"Git","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"MATLAB","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Simulink","optional":false},{"name":"SystemVerilog","optional":false},{"name":"Verilog","optional":false},{"name":"VHDL","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-18T13:53:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-18","last_verified_at":"2026-11-04T22:48:04Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":47,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":47},"description":"ENTRY-LEVEL FPGA ENGINEER\nxG and Mixed Signal Product Development | Technical Services\nAbout the opportunity\nFairwinds Technologies is continuously looking for curious, hands-on early-career engineers who want to turn digital design concepts into working hardware for radios, RF systems, embedded platforms, and operationally relevant test environments. In this role, you may support either our xG or Mixed Signal product development team, or technical-services contracts aligned with those product areas.\nYou will work alongside experienced FPGA, DSP, RF, embedded software, systems, and test engineers to design, simulate, implement, integrate, and verify programmable-logic solutions. Assignments may span internal product development and customer-funded research, integration, test, demonstration, and field-support activities. The position is designed to build practical engineering depth while giving an early-career engineer exposure to the full lifecycle from requirements and architecture through hardware verification and measured system performance.\nWhat you will do\nDesign, implement, simulate, and verify FPGA logic using VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog under the guidance of experienced engineers.\nDevelop reusable modules for data movement, control, timing, digital interfaces, buffering, signal processing, monitoring, and system integration.\nCreate testbenches, test vectors, assertions, and repeatable verification procedures to demonstrate functional and timing performance.\nUse FPGA vendor development tools to synthesize, place and route, analyze timing, program devices, and debug designs in laboratory hardware.\nSupport device and board bring-up involving FPGAs, data converters, processors, memory, clocks, radios, RF front ends, and high-speed digital interfaces.\nCollaborate with DSP engineers to translate algorithms and reference models into fixed-point, pipelined, resource-aware hardware implementations.\nCollaborate with embedded software engineers on register maps, control interfaces, drivers, configuration, telemetry, and embedded Linux integration.\nUse simulation, on-chip debug tools, laboratory instruments, and captured data to identify root causes and validate corrective actions.\nParticipate in code reviews, configuration management, issue tracking, design reviews, and continuous integration practices.\nPrepare clear design descriptions, interface documentation, verification results, test reports, and configuration records for product and customer-funded activities.\nTechnology and mission areas\nDepending on assignment, you may contribute in one or more of the following areas:\nxG wireless systems, including 5G, non-terrestrial networking, software-defined radio, tactical communications, radio integration, and networked edge systems.\nMixed Signal products, including Global Link and EchoPhase-related capabilities, channel emulation, coherent combining, wideband signal processing, and high-speed data-converter interfaces.\nDigital upconversion and downconversion, filtering, channelization, synchronization, buffering, timing, control, calibration, and real-time data paths.\nRuggedized mission modules and RF systems that combine FPGA logic, embedded compute, networking, radio, and mixed-signal hardware.\nGovernment-funded R&D and technical-services contracts involving architecture, implementation, integration, verification, demonstrations, documentation, and field support.\nMinimum qualifications\nBachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related technical field, completed or expected before start date.\nCoursework, laboratory, internship, capstone, research, or personal-project experience with FPGA development, digital logic, computer architecture, or embedded systems.\nFoundational understanding of synchronous digital design, finite-state machines, registers, counters, memories, clocking, reset strategies, and timing concepts.\nAcademic or project experience using VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog, or another hardware description language.\nBasic familiarity with simulation, synthesis, testbenches, and debugging digital hardware.\nAbility to apply structured problem solving, learn unfamiliar devices and interfaces, communicate assumptions, and document results clearly.\nAbility to collaborate in a multidisciplinary engineering environment and satisfy customer, site-access, export-control, and security requirements associated with assigned work.\nPreferred, not required\nHands-on experience with an AMD/Xilinx, Intel/Altera, Microchip, Lattice, or comparable FPGA development board and toolchain.\nExposure to high-speed interfaces, data converters, DDR memory, Ethernet, PCIe, JESD204, SPI, I2C, UART, AXI, or similar buses and protocols.\nFamiliarity with fixed-point arithmetic, digital signal processing, software-defined radio, clock-domain crossing, timing closure, or hardware-in-the-loop testing.\nExperience using Python, MATLAB, Simulink, cocotb, C or C++, Linux, Git, scripting, or automated build and verification workflows.\nCoursework or project experience in wireless communications, RF systems, signal processing, 5G/LTE, non-terrestrial networks, radar, satellite communications, or test and measurement.\nWhy join Fairwinds Technologies\nWork on products and customer-funded R&D activities within the same technical domain, connecting digital design with hardware, software, RF systems, measured data, and operational use cases.\nGain broad exposure to programmable logic, wideband signal processing, high-speed interfaces, data converters, wireless systems, embedded computing, laboratory integration, and field testing.\nLearn from experienced multidisciplinary engineers while receiving meaningful design, implementation, bring-up, and verification responsibilities early in your career.\nJoin a growing technology organization expanding its xG and Mixed Signal portfolios and strengthening repeatable product-development practices.\nHow to apply\nSubmit your resume and, if available, links or short descriptions for relevant HDL code, FPGA projects, testbenches, laboratory work, capstone projects, research, internships, technical papers, or portfolios. Tell us what you designed, what you personally implemented or verified, how you tested it, and what you learned while troubleshooting it.\nCompensation- Salary\nAt Fairwinds, we consider many factors when it comes to compensation, including the scope of the position as well as your background and experience. Base pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, location and experience. Additional incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits.\nPosition Type/Expected Hours of Work\nThis is a full time, exempt position.\nWork Authorization/Security Clearance:\nMust be eligible to work in the US.\nAAP/EEO Statement\nFairwinds Technologies, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer - M/F/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity\nEVERGREEN RECRUITING NOTICE\nThis posting supports continuous recruiting for anticipated entry-level needs. Applications may be reviewed as positions and program requirements become available. 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