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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal Field Programmable Gate Array & Digital Signal Processing Engineer - **Company:** INC Research - **Location:** Alexandria, VA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Board Bringup, LTE (Telecommunication), Agile Methodology, Artificial Intelligence, Algorithm Design, Bluetooth, C++ (Programming Language), Signals Intelligence, Nvidia CUDA, Computer Engineering, Software Debugging, Programming Tools, Ethernet, Firmware, Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Hardware Description Language, Python (Programming Language), Linux System Administration, MATLAB, PCI Express, Regression Testing, Signal Processing, Simulink, Software Engineering, System on a Chip, SystemVerilog, VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL), Wi-Fi Technology, Vivado, 5G NR, Fpga Hardware, State Machines, Hardware Testing, Git, SC Clearance, Information Technology, Low Latency - **Published:** August 18, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.dice.com/job-detail/449aa161-417a-439a-af45-ec5d4bb67796 ## About the Role * Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field; Master's or PhD preferred. * 10+ years of FPGA development experience supporting RF, SDR, SIGINT, radar, wireless communications, or Electronic Warfare systems. * Demonstrated ownership of FPGA architecture from concept through deployed production systems. * Active Secret clearance required; ability to obtain or maintain TS/SCI preferred. * Expert proficiency with VHDL and/or SystemVerilog, RTL design, pipelining, finite state machines, clock domain crossing, and timing closure. * Extensive experience with AMD/Xilinx development tools including Vivado, Vitis, Vitis HLS, and RFSoC or Versal platforms. * Strong background in digital signal processing including FFTs, digital down/up conversion, FIR/IIR/CIC filters, multirate processing, fixed-point design, CORDIC, and AGC. * Experience implementing high-speed interfaces including AXI, PCIe, Ethernet, DDR memory, Aurora, and JESD204B/C. * Proficiency with MATLAB and/or Python for algorithm development and hardware verification, along with C/C++ development in Linux environments. * Experience with FPGA simulation, debugging, board bring-up, and RF laboratory validation using industry-standard tools. * Familiarity with Git, Agile development methodologies, and cross-functional hardware/software engineering teams. EVEN BETTER * Experience developing CUDA or GPU-based DSP algorithms and migrating them to FPGA implementations. * Experience implementing beamforming, direction finding, geolocation, MUSIC/ESPRIT, TDOA, or FDOA algorithms. * Knowledge of LTE, 5G NR, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth/BLE, LoRa, or other modern communications waveforms. * Experience with High-Level Synthesis (HLS), Simulink, MATLAB HDL Coder, or Model Composer. * Familiarity with RFNoC, GNU Radio, OpenCPI, SOSA, or CMOSS architectures. ## Description Dragonfly is redefining tactical SIGINT and Electronic Warfare by combining advanced RF sensing, GPU-accelerated processing, artificial intelligence, and high-performance FPGA architectures into a portable, mission-ready platform. As the Principal FPGA & DSP Engineer, you will serve as the technical leader responsible for designing and delivering the next generation of real-time FPGA-based signal processing capabilities that enable rapid spectrum awareness, signal exploitation, and electronic warfare operations. Working closely with hardware, software, AI, and RF engineering teams, you will architect high-performance firmware solutions that transform advanced algorithms into deployable capabilities supporting the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and allied mission partners. WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING * Lead the FPGA firmware architecture for Dragonfly, defining the optimal partitioning of signal processing across FPGA, GPU, and CPU to meet mission latency, throughput, and SWaP requirements. * Migrate GPU-based digital signal processing algorithms into efficient FPGA implementations, including floating-to-fixed point conversion, quantization analysis, word-length optimization, and bit-accurate verification. * Design reusable, portable FPGA IP that supports multiple AMD/Xilinx platforms including RFSoC, Versal, UltraScale+, and Zynq. * Develop real-time FPGA implementations for advanced RF signal processing including digital down conversion, filtering, FFTs, channelization, synchronization, demodulation, and protocol exploitation. * Implement and optimize wireless protocol processing for technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth/BLE, LoRa, LTE, and 5G NR. * Develop FPGA capabilities supporting direction finding (DF), beamforming, geolocation, and multi-channel phase-coherent signal processing. * Establish FPGA verification methodologies including simulation, automated regression testing, timing closure, hardware validation, and over-the-air testing. * Support hardware bring-up, integration, production validation, and field testing of Dragonfly systems. * Serve as the technical authority for FPGA firmware and DSP architecture, conducting design reviews, mentoring engineers, and establishing engineering best practices. * Contribute to product roadmap development, customer engagements, technical proposals, IRAD efforts, and emerging EW/SIGINT capability development. ## Related Videos - [How a Small Team Shrank a Microsoft Monorepo by 94%](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1236-how-a-small-team-shrank-a-microsoft-monorepo-by-94) - [Unlocking the potential of Digital & IT at Vodafone](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/602-unlocking-the-potential-of-digital-it-at-vodafone) - [Git for Code Reviews](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/429-git-for-code-reviews) - [More efficient software for more efficient microchips](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1164-more-efficient-software-for-more-efficient-microchips) - [Unleashing the Full Potential of the Arm Architecture – Write Once, Deploy Anywhere](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/940-unleashing-the-full-potential-of-the-arm-architecture-write-once-deploy-anywhere) - [Stop Committing Your Secrets - GIt Hooks To The Rescue!](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/573-stop-committing-your-secrets-git-hooks-to-the-rescue) ## Related Articles - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [Dev Digest 134 - Where pixels sing?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/477-dev-digest-134-where-pixels-sing) - [Dev Digest 121 - AI goes offline](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/456-dev-digest-121-ai-goes-offline) - [Top 6 Hackathons for Developers in 2023](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/263-top-6-hackathons-for-developers-in-2023) - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated)