Chief FPGA Designer

Job Description

Chief/Lead FPGA Engineer

Etteplan is a leading engineering services company specializing in software and embedded systems for industrial and connected products. We are looking for an experienced and motivated professional to join our Embedded Software & Connectivity organization, focused on FPGA development in embedded systems.

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Chief/Lead FPGA Designer to join our team and take ownership of FPGA architecture, development, and quality across our product portfolio. This is a senior technical leadership role in which you will drive both the engineering excellence and the process rigor that our projects demand.

You will work closely with hardware, software, and systems engineering teams, participate actively in design reviews, and ensure that our FPGA development lifecycle meets internal standards and relevant industry regulations.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Define and own end-to-end FPGA architecture for new and existing products
• Lead FPGA development from requirements capture through design, verification, integration, and production release
• Make critical design trade-off decisions (performance, power, area, cost)
• Mentor and technically guide junior and mid-level FPGA designers

Design Reviews & Quality

• Conduct and chair FPGA peer reviews and formal milestone reviews (PDR, CDR, etc.)
• Define and maintain FPGA design review checklists and entry/exit criteria
• Evaluate and review FPGA designs from subcontractors or partners where applicable
• Ensure review records are complete, traceable, and audit-ready

Process & Standards Ownership

• Define, document, and maintain the company FPGA development process and lifecycle
• Own and enforce FPGA coding standards and design guidelines
• Drive continuous improvement based on lessons learned, audits, and industry best practices
• Interface with Quality, Systems Engineering, and Project Management on FPGA-related topics
• Ensure traceability from requirements to design, verification, and validation artefacts

Requirements

Must Have

• 10 – 15+ years of hands-on FPGA design experience, with at least 5 years in a lead or senior role
• Deep expertise in VHDL and/or Verilog / SystemVerilog
• Proficiency with major vendor toolchains: Xilinx/AMD Vivado, Intel/Altera Quartus, or Microsemi/Microchip Libero
• Strong command of digital design fundamentals: clock domain crossing, timing closure, power optimisation, design-for-test
• Experience with high-speed interfaces (e.g. PCIe, Ethernet 1G/10G/100G, DDR4, JESD204B, Aurora)
• Functional simulation and testbench development experience (VHDL, SystemVerilog, or UVM)
• Familiarity with a relevant process standard (e.g. DO-254, IEC 61508, EN 50128) — see domain below
• Proven experience leading FPGA design reviews and owning design process documentation
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in Finnish and English

Nice to Have

• DO-254 DAL A/B or IEC 61508 SIL certification project experience
• SoC / MPSoC design (Xilinx Zynq, Intel SoC FPGA)
• High-Level Synthesis (HLS) with Xilinx Vitis HLS or Intel HLS Compiler
• Partial reconfiguration, embedded soft-core processors (MicroBlaze, Nios II)
• Formal verification methods
• Requirements management tooling (e.g. DOORS, Polarion, Jama)
• FPGA-based DSP / signal processing design experience

What We Offer

• A senior role with significant technical ownership
• Collaborative, multidisciplinary teams and a strong engineering culture
• Continuous professional development, including access to training, certifications, and emerging technology
• Flexible working arrangements and a modern, international work environment
• Competitive compensation commensurate with your experience and contribution