Principal / Sr. Principal FPGA Design Engineer

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Join Northrop Grumman Payload and Ground Systems (PGS) on our continued mission to push the boundaries of possible across space systems. Enjoy a culture where your voice is valued and start contributing to our team of passionate professionals providing real-life solutions to our world’s biggest challenges. We take pride in creating purposeful work and allowing our employees to grow and achieve their goals every day by Defining Possible. With our competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, we have the right opportunities to fit your life and launch your career today.

Northrop Grumman Payload and Ground Systems Division (PGSD) is seeking a highly skilled Principal or Senior Principal Digital FPGA Design Engineer for the development of advanced signal processing solutions for digital subsystems and products. Northrop Grumman PGSD is a leading global supplier of Space systems. The Digital Technology department develops subsystems and products to deliver advanced operational capabilities on schedule and under budget. In this position the Digital Design/FPGA Design Engineer will have expertise in designing, implementing and optimizing Digital Signal Processing (DSP) algorithms for radar, Electro Optical, Electronic Warfare and other sensor and processing applications. 

Northrop Grumman is currently seeking Principal FPGA Design Engineers or Sr. Principal FPGA Design Engineers for our Linthicum, Maryland location.

This position can be filled at either level depending upon years of experience and qualifications.

Typical responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Develop digital logic designs for space applications such as satellite command and control and sensor data processing

• Design, development, creation and modification of digital logic designs implemented with Intel, Xilinx and Microsemi FPGA IDEs

• Simulation and verification of FPGA logic designs, compliance requirements, and supporting validation at the system level

• Work with cross-functional teams including systems engineers, hardware engineers and software developers to develop innovative solutions

• Clear and effective communication to cross-functional team members 

• Documentation of design and analysis reports as well as test reports

Basic Qualifications for Principal FPGA Design Engineer:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or STEM degree with 5 years of related experience; or a master’s degree with 3 years of related experience; or a PhD with 0 years of related experience

• Experience with the use of various FPGAs or the development of HDL (Verilog and VHDL) code within the corresponding IDE

• Design, develop and implement DSP algorithms for radar signal processing, electronic warfare and secure communications in an FPGA

• Experience with FPGA/DSP hardware platforms and development in VHDL/Verilog

• Must be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret or Top-Secret Clearance per business requirements

Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal FPGA Design Engineer:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or STEM-related discipline with 8+ years of experience, or master’s degree and 6+ years of experience, or a Ph.D. with 3+ years of experience

• Digital subsystem, ASIC, FPGA and/or digital board development experience and knowledge essential

• Strong foundation in Digital Signal Processing theory and algorithms

• Experience with translating Digital Signal Processing algorithms to RTL design in an FPGA

• Implement DSP algorithms in VHDL or Verilog for FPGA and ASIC-based processing platforms

• Candidate must have good communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, and good oral and written presentation skills

• Must be able to mentor and coach early career Engineers as needed

• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently and in a team

• Must be able to obtain and maintain Secret or Top-Secret level security clearance, per business requirements

Preferred Qualifications:

• Four or more years leading a digital design team. 

• Experience creating and managing to an FPGA build plan

• Experience defining development test plans and/or methods

• Experience translating customer requirements and/or functional block diagrams into realized FPGA/Digital Logic Designs

• Experience working with Xilinx Ultrascale FPGAs (Kintex or Zynq Ultrascale+)

• Experience with DSP architectures, micro-controllers or FPGA-based implementations

• Experience with some, or all, of the following Digital Signal Processing topics:

  • Signal analysis of IQ data

  • Filter structures (FIR & IIR)

  • Channelization and beamforming concepts

  • Signal detection concepts

  • Signal characterization concepts, such as measuring frequency, phase, amplitude, modulation, demodulation, etc.

• Experience with verifying the correctness of firmware-based Digital Signal Processing algorithms

• Strong experience with signal processing tools and framework like MATLAB and understanding of Simulink modeling and programming

• Conduct performance analysis and optimize DSP algorithms for high-speed, real-time processing

• Willing to support on-site hardware test and experience with scripting (tcl, python, etc)

• Experience using debug tools like ILAs (Xilinx) and/or Identify debugger (Microsemi)

• Effective communication with systems and software teams for requirements, ICDs, handoffs, etc.

• Able to work effectively within a development team to understand system level inter-dependencies and design constraints

• Active Top Secret clearance a plus

Salary Range: $115,800.00 - $173,800.00Salary Range 2: $144,200.00 - $216,400.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO/AA and Pay Transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.