Senior FPGA Developer (SystemVerilog)

About this role

The Role The Senior FPGA Developer will be a member of the core team building the Quantum Key Distribution system. The focus is end ‑ to ‑ end RTL ownership on AMD/Xilinx (Artix ‑ 7, Kintex UltraScale): architect, implement, verify, and close timing on high ‑ rate interfaces and deterministic pipelines. The role also sets engineering discipline for FPGA development and mentors a junior engineer. The Senior FPGA Developer owns the FPGA architecture/codebase and collaborates closely with embedded/software to define clean contracts, ensure reliable bring ‑ up, and deliver reproducible, versioned bitstreams.

The Responsibilities The Senior FPGA Developer should expect to work in the following activities. RTL architecture, interfaces, and rather high-speed datapaths Owning SystemVerilog RTL architecture/implementation for Artix ‑ 7 and Kintex UltraScale (SystemVerilog, Vivado) Implementing DDR3/DDR4 controllers integration, PCIe endpoint/DMA, and Ethernet/SFP paths; evaluating/integrating third ‑ party MAC/PCS IP Building deterministic acquisition/timing/sifting layers — packetization, buffering, alignment; robust clocking/CDC/reset; custom low ‑ level protocols — and bridging them to high ‑ throughput interfaces (DDR/PCIe) Defining clear AXI/AXI ‑ Stream boundaries and register maps for SW/FW integration Constraints, timing closure, and floorplanning Authoring and maintaining XDC constraints (clocks, I/O, exceptions); achieving consistent timing closure across corners Applying practical floorplanning (pblocks, placement guidance) and CDC methodology; analyzing reports and iterating for margin Verification and CI Establishing a professional verification environment with ModelSim/Questa; developing self ‑ checking testbenches and regression suites; integrating Python/cocotb co ‑ simulation with software harnesses/mocks; defining coverage goals (OSVVM/UVM as appropriate) Building CI for lint/sim/synth/impl; archiving reports/bitstreams; automating regressions (including cocotb) and basic HW ‑ in ‑ the ‑ loop smoke tests Bring-up, debug, and releases Board bring-up and debug using ILA/logic analyzers; link training, memory calib, and protocol bring-up Owning bitstream packaging, versioning, and release notes; ensuring reproducible builds and traceable artifacts Cross-team collaboration and mentoring Driving system integration with SW/FW: register/driver contracts, throughput/latency budgets, HIL Mentoring a junior engineer; codifying style guides, reviews, and design documentation The Requirements <span data-contrast="