FPGA Design Engineer

General Dynamics Mission Systems engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of more than 13,000 top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defence and scientific arenas. In the UK, we are leading the way in avionics and communication systems. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency.

General Dynamics in St Leonards-on-Sea currently provide avionic mission computing systems for a wide range of military fast jets, helicopters, and UAV’s. Recent success has resulted in General Dynamics developing the next generation of Advanced High Performance, Safety Critical Mission Computer Systems to meet the needs of latest platforms in development by several aircraft manufacturers. These Mission Computing Systems provide the functionality that integrates aircraft systems, sensor systems and stores management systems with the information and control systems required by the aircrew to meet the demanding operational needs of these aircraft.

Join our TEMPEST team and contribute to the development of advanced mission computing technology for the UK’s next-generation combat aircraft programme. In this role you will develop and integrate FPGA-based solutions for complex, safety-critical applications, working alongside engineers and technical specialists across industry, government and academia. This is an opportunity to work on a major multinational defence programme and help deliver the next generation of combat air capability.

In this role, you will:

• Develop FPGA designs and associated firmware using VHDL and/or Verilog.
• Support the full FPGA development lifecycle, from requirements and design through to implementation, verification and integration.
• Create and maintain simulation environments and test benches.
• Perform simulation, integration testing and technical fault investigation.
• Work with embedded software, hardware and systems engineering teams to integrate FPGA solutions into complex mission computing products.
• Contribute to design reviews and the production of supporting engineering documentation.
• Support the exploration and application of AI/ML models within FPGA and embedded computing environments.
• Collaborate with engineering specialists across industry, government and academia.
• Contribute to sovereign UK defence capability through the delivery of advanced combat air technology.

Essential experience:

• A degree, equivalent qualification or relevant practical experience in electronic engineering, computer engineering or a related discipline.
• Practical experience developing FPGA solutions using VHDL and/or Verilog.
• An understanding of FPGA design, simulation, verification and integration.
• Knowledge of embedded systems and digital electronics.
• The ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• High levels of motivation, integrity and professionalism.

Desirable experience:

• Experience creating simulation environments or VHDL/Verilog test benches.
• Familiarity with FPGA development, simulation and verification tools.
• Experience working on complex, safety-critical or high-integrity systems.
• An understanding of hardware and software integration.
• Experience working with, implementing or deploying AI/ML models.

This role has a salary of between £36,000 - £45,000 plus our flexible benefits package.

We are open to this role being spent with time working from home and in the office (hybrid - typically 3 days working in office) on a weekly basis or fully in our offices.

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose, offering impressive benefits: 

• A compressed nine-day fortnight and compressed hours - which means every other Friday off. 
• A personalized career development plan, alongside regular progress reviews - supporting and valuing your progression within the Company. 
• A flexible working environment where your contributions are recognized and rewarded with flexible benefits 

We believe in maintaining a diverse workplace - inclusive of beliefs, cultural background, job experiences, thoughts and ideas. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we welcome you to join our inclusive team!

Our success is fuelled by our colleagues and the wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills they bring to the Company.

We are a Disability Confident Employer, as such we offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job.
Please email [email protected] if you would like your application to be considered under the DC Scheme.

All successful/appointed applicants must be able to obtain a level of UK Security clearance that is appropriate for the role and undertake suitable Right to work checks.

Every application matters to us. We want you to know that each application we receive is reviewed by a real person—not just an algorithm. Our screening questions are also carefully considered to help us understand your experience and fit for the role.

We appreciate the time you take to apply.