FPGA Engineer

Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Following the close of a $200M Series B, valuing the company at $1.4 billion, we are expanding our teams and capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces.

Our work is guided by clear values: building technologies with real-world impact, pursuing excellence in everything we do, setting ambitious goals, and taking on the hardest technical challenges. We operate in a demanding environment where rigor, ownership, and execution are expected.

As an FPGA Engineer, you will work closely with the existing FPGA engineer, with a primary focus on the RF and signal-processing aspects of the project. This role is designed for someone highly autonomous, comfortable taking ownership and driving technical decisions forward. You will share responsibility for the design and implementation of the FPGA-based signal-processing pipeline, collaborating closely with hardware and embedded software engineers to deliver a robust, high-performance wireless link between drones and ground stations.

• Lead the architecture and high-level design of low-latency FPGA-based signal-processing solutions, working on demanding wireless and high-performance signal chains (e.g. modulation schemes, FFT/OFDM, channel coding, synchronization, equalization), often close to the RF front-end.

• Own the full FPGA development cycle end to end, from early feasibility and architectural choices through implementation, validation, and delivery of robust, production-ready designs.

• Perform system-level analysis and simulations to validate architectural decisions, understand real-world performance limits, and ensure the wireless link behaves as expected under constraints.

• Design and maintain effective test benches and validation frameworks to reliably test complex DSP pipelines, quickly identify issues, and shorten debug and integration cycles.

• Work closely with hardware and embedded software teams to ensure clean, reliable integration of FPGA designs into the complete system.

• Evaluate and select FPGA devices, tools, and ecosystems based on real project constraints such as latency, RF performance, power consumption, and long-term scalability.

• Define and document clear interfaces between FPGA, software, and hardware, building architectures that are robust today and flexible enough to evolve over time.

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Signal Processing, or a related field. A PhD is a plus.

• 5+ years of hands-on FPGA development experience, with end-to-end ownership from architecture and design to validation and deployment (VHDL and/or Verilog).

• Strong, first-principles understanding of digital signal processing, with real experience implementing complex DSP pipelines on FPGA (e.g. modulation, FFT/OFDM, channel coding, synchronization, equalization).

• Proven experience in low-latency, real-time environments, making informed trade-offs between latency, performance, precision, power, and resources.

• Ability to lead FPGA and signal-processing architecture at system level and integrate designs with hardware and embedded software teams (RF or equivalent signal chains).

• Solid background in validation and testing, including system-level simulation and real-world or hardware-in-the-loop testing.

• High level of autonomy, technical ownership, and clear communication, with the ability to drive decisions and deliver production-ready systems in demanding environments.

• 100% dedication to Harmattan AI’s mission, vision, and ambitious growth plans, ready to go the extra mile to ensure operational excellence.

We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.