Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is seeking a Principal FPGA Design Engineer to support the Common Products Circuit Design organization in Rancho Bernardo, CA.
As FPGA Design Engineer you will design, implement and verify HDL to manage I/O devices on embedded computers in a new avionics’ product line. In collaboration with the product architect, electrical designers, software engineers and systems engineers you will develop requirements, define HW/SW interfaces and determine verification approaches. You will establish integrated product development workflows, processes and tools to reduce time to market for our safety critical avionics designs.
Essential Functions:
FPGA Architecture & Design
- Define FPGA architecture and logic design to support avionics computer functions
- Translate system and board-level requirements to detailed FPGA requirements and design specifications
- Collaborate with the Product Architect to partition system functionality between hardware, firmware and software
HDL Coding & Implementation
- Develop synthesizable HDL code for FPGA-based designs
- Implement interfaces such as PCIe, SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet and Serial
- Simulation, Verification and Validation
- Create comprehensive test benches and simulation environment to verify FPGA functionality
- Perform functional, timing and synthesis-level simulations to ensure deterministic and reliable operation
- Support hardware-in-the-loop and system-level integration testing with embedded processors and avionics systems
- Participate in formal verification and validation activities
Synthesis, Place & Route, and Timing Closure
- Perform synthesis, implementation and timing closure using Vivado
- Optimize resource utilization, power consumption, and performance through iterative design and analysis
- Generate and review timing constraints to ensure reliable performance across all environmental conditions
- Provide support in person and through documentation generation of findings and
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline with 5 years of related engineering experience; OR Master’s degree in a STEM discipline with 3 years of related experience; OR PhD in a STEM discipline with 1 year of related experience
- Digital circuit design experience, including simulation & schematic capture through test and integration
- Prior hands-on prototyping and debug experience testing complex digital subsystems, such as complex circuit card development involving FPGAs, and/or embedded processors, and/or high-speed interfaces
- Experience with AMD FPGAs and the Vivado tool (or equivalent tools)
- Experience with OVM/UVM Verification methodologies
- Ability to obtain and maintain US Government Secret Clearance
- Ability to obtain and maintain Program Access within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the Company
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience facilitating internal and customer collaboration to capture and enhance engineering artifacts
- Demonstrated experience with the full product life cycle (requirements, design, implementation, and test)
- Demonstrated ability to translate system performance and operational specifications into hardware requirements, design, and test specifications
Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 5 years of related engineering experience, or a master's degree with 3 years of related experience, or a PhD with 1 year of related experience
- Digital circuit design experience, including simulation and schematic capture through test and integration
- Hands-on prototyping and debugging experience with complex digital subsystems, including FPGAs, embedded processors, or high-speed interfaces
- Experience with AMD FPGAs and Vivado or equivalent tools
- Experience with OVM/UVM verification methodologies
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret clearance
- Ability to obtain and maintain Program Access within a reasonable period
- Experience facilitating internal and customer collaboration to capture and enhance engineering artifacts
- Experience across the full product life cycle, including requirements, design, implementation, and test
- Ability to translate system performance and operational specifications into hardware requirements, design, and test specifications
Northrop Grumman Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Northrop Grumman and has not been reviewed or approved by Northrop Grumman.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage offers multiple medical plan options by region alongside dental, vision, mental‑health resources, and wellness programs. Recent materials also highlight added family‑building support, including a dedicated fertility benefit.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) savings plan is positioned as competitive with a company match, auto‑escalation features, and access to an employee stock fund/ESPP. Official filings and benefits guides emphasize retirement as a core element of the Total Rewards package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Many sites offer a 9/80 schedule, generous PTO, paid holidays, and flexible/telework options where program needs allow. Paid parental and caregiver leave are prominently featured, with recent enhancements for the delivering parent.
Northrop Grumman Insights
What We Do
We are a close-knit community of big thinkers collaborating to keep the world safe. Our passion, creativity and expertise bring next-level technology solutions to life in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, space, and logistics and modernization for our customers around the globe. On the Northrop Grumman team, you’ll join our pursuit of excellence immersed in a dynamic culture of innovation and respect. Your unique perspective will help achieve our shared vision for the future of global security. Every step of the way, you'll be supported by world-class training, employee resource groups and a comprehensive benefits package that enables greater health and happiness for you and your family. Worldwide and across disciplines, we’re challenging what’s possible for technology to protect people and places from undersea to outer space and into cyberspace. And we see the impact of our performance every day. We are Northrop Grumman, and we work on what matters—now, you too can make a difference. Explore opportunities in engineering, IT, manufacturing, business management, cybersecurity and more with us. Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.







