Senior Advanced FPGA Engineer

To qualify for the Senior Advanced FPGA Engineer role at General Dynamics Mission Systems, you need a bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering or related fields along with a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience. Alternatively, a master's degree with at least 6 years of experience is acceptable. Additionally, you must be able to obtain a Department of Defense TS/SCI security clearance, requiring U.S. citizenship.

As a Senior Advanced FPGA Engineer at General Dynamics Mission Systems, your responsibilities will include participating in product design from system architecture through to production. You'll work within a cross-functional team, utilizing your skills in VHDL/Verilog/SystemVerilog to create secure and cost-effective products. Regularly communicating with project leaders and internal teams will also be part of your role, ensuring that technical challenges are addressed effectively.

The ideal candidate for the Senior Advanced FPGA Engineer position should be proficient in FPGA design principles and skilled with languages like VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog. Familiarity with tools such as Vivado, experience with Zynq UltraScale+, Multi-Gigabit Transceivers, and knowledge of various bus protocols greatly enhances your profile. Leadership experience in roles like IPT lead or Project Manager may also be beneficial.

Working as a Senior Advanced FPGA Engineer at General Dynamics Mission Systems means being part of a dedicated team in a fully on-site environment with occasional hybrid options. You'll join a collaborative atmosphere that promotes innovation and offers benefits like competitive healthcare, parental leave, and flexible work schedules, including the option for every other Friday off.

As a Senior Advanced FPGA Engineer at General Dynamics Mission Systems, you'll find numerous opportunities for professional growth and continuous learning. The company emphasizes research-oriented work and provides access to ongoing training that enhances your skills and supports your career development in the tech and defense arenas.

When answering this question, structure your response by outlining the key steps involved: starting from requirement gathering, then moving to system architecture, followed by hardware description using languages like VHDL or Verilog, simulation, implementation, and finally validation. Highlight any experiences you have that illustrate each step of this process.

Be specific about the tools and languages you've used, such as Vivado for design integrated with VHDL or Verilog. Discuss projects where these tools fostered innovation and how your familiarity makes you an asset for the Senior Advanced FPGA Engineer role.

Discuss the methods you apply in optimizing designs to meet timing constraints and your familiarity with static timing analysis tools. Share experiences where you resolved timing issues effectively, showcasing your ability problem-solve under pressure.

Select a project that highlights your technical skills, teamwork, and creativity. Explain the project's challenges, your role, and the innovative solutions you implemented to achieve success, emphasizing the impact it had on the broader goals of the organization.

Illustrate your understanding and practical experience with Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment methodologies. Discuss how you have implemented version control with Git in your projects to enhance collaboration and efficiency within FPGA development.

Provide specific examples of projects where you've interfaced with external memory like DRAM or SRAM. Talk about the challenges faced during integration and how your successful management of these interfaces contributed to project outcomes.

Share your method for prioritizing tasks, such as using a project management tool or regular meetings to align with teams. Mention how being methodical helps you meet deadlines and maintain project quality, particularly in high-pressure situations.

Emphasize the importance of collaboration in a multidisciplinary environment, explaining how a Senior Advanced FPGA Engineer serves as a technical resource while facilitating communication among electrical, software, and systems engineers to drive unified project goals.

Reflect on specific technologies or designs you've introduced in previous roles, detailing how they improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness, or secured the technology. Share metrics or qualitative results to validate your contributions.

Showcase your passion for mission-driven work that supports national security. Mention aspects of GDMS's culture, values, or projects that resonate with you and explain how your skills align with their objectives, making you a strong fit for the team.