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FPGA Design Lead

BAE Systems

San Diego, CAFull-time$150–254K/yrSeen todaySeen in employer's feed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$150–254K/yr
Location
San Diego, CA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Secret clearance

Job overview

BAE Systems’ Electronic Combat Solutions Hardware Engineering Group seeks a Senior Principal II FPGA Design Engineer to lead and develop a team through all phases of development. The role includes requirements generation, design architecture, technical oversight and mentoring, and ownership of RTL coding, synthesis, test bench development, lab testing, and product support. The position requires full-time onsite presence and a Secret or higher government clearance.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Requirements DecompositionFPGA DesignASIC DesignDesign Team LeadershipVHDLVerilog HDLXilinx Vivado/ISEAltera QuartusModelSim/QuestaTiming-Driven DesignClock Domain CrossingLab DebuggingProblem SolvingWritten CommunicationOral CommunicationMentoringPCIeSerDesADC/DACDDR3/4Revision ControlTcl/TkUNIX/Linux Shell ProgrammingDSP FundamentalsFPGA ImplementationC/C++PerlPythonMATLAB/SimulinkUVM/SystemVerilog

Qualifications

10 Years Relevant ExperienceBachelor's DegreeAdvanced DegreeSecret Clearance or EligibilityActive Secret Clearance

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match
Paid Time Off
Parental Leave

Full job description

Job Description

See what you re missing. Our employees work on the world s most advanced electronics from detecting threats for F-35 pilots to illuminating the night for soldiers. Spanning air, land, sea, and space, we are developing the technology of tomorrow, delivered today. We re innovating for the future and you c,an too. Our flexible work environment provides you a chance to change the world without giving up your personal life. We put our customers first exemplified by our mission: We Protect Those Who Protect Us. Sound like a team you want to be a part of? Come build your career with BAE Systems.

At BAE Systems, we deliver a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. If you are an individual that enjoys a cohesive team environment and is interested in a variety of challenges across a variety of products, then we are interested in hearing from you!

Electronic Combat Solutions Hardware Engineering Group is seeking a Senior Principal II FPGA Design Engineer to lead and develop a team of FPGA designer engineers through all phases of development. The ideal candidate is expected to perform activities including requirements generation and design architecture; technical oversight and mentoring of team members; as well as ownership of RTL coding, synthesis, basic test bench development, lab testing, and product support.

As this job requires a government clearance of secret or higher, the position requires full-time onsite presence.

Required Education, Experience, & Skills

  • 10 years of relevant experience with bachelor's degree (less with an advanced degree)

  • Current Security Clearance (Secret), or eligible to obtain one

  • Ability to distill higher level requirements into micro-architecture

  • Extensive experience in FPGA (preferred) or ASIC Design / Development

  • Experience leading a design team

  • Proficient in VHDL (preferred) or Verilog HDL coding

  • Familiarity with Xilinx Vivado/ISE or Altera Quartus

  • Digital simulation using Modelsim/Questa

  • Strong understanding of timing driven design including clock domain crossing circuitry

  • Strong lab debug and problem solving skills

  • Strong written and oral communication skills

  • Ability to mentor and willingness to be mentored

  • Experience with high-speed interfaces like PCIe, SerDes, ADC/DAC, DDR3/4

  • Familiarity with revision control (GIT, CVS, Clearcase, Subversion, etc.)

  • Knowledgeable in Tcl/Tk and UNIX/Linux shell programming

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

  • Active Security Clearance (Secret)

  • Experience with DSP fundamentals and FPGA implementation

  • Proficient in C/C , Perl, Python programming

  • Experience with Matlab/Simulink

  • Experience creating unique designs and supporting legacy designs

  • Experience with UVM/System Verilog

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $149603 - $254317

Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20 hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics.

FPGA Design Lead

132375BR

EEO Career Site Equal Opportunity Employer. Minorities . females . veterans . individuals with disabilities . sexual orientation . gender identity . gender expression

How this job compares

Set against the 957 open Hardware Engineering jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 5, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$150–254K/yr
  • California median$172–245K/yr226 salary ranges
  • US median$146–245K/yr662 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $202K, is 3% below the California median midpoint ($209K) — in the middle half of Hardware Engineering salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 348 open Hardware Engineering jobs in California and 957 across the US. Under 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 10 years of experience; Hardware Engineering postings that state a minimum ask for 7 years at the median (614 postings).
Education
345 of the 957 open Hardware Engineering jobs (36%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 5, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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