Description

Job Title: FPGA Architect

Location: Montreal, QC, Canada

Job Type: Full-Time

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Hardware & Test Avionics Team Lead (FPGA Architect) to join our Hardware Development team supporting advanced avionics programs in North America. This role is responsible for leading end-to-end FPGA architecture, development, integration, and verification activities for complex, safety-critical aerospace systems.

The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in FPGA technologies, avionics hardware development, and certification-oriented engineering practices, along with strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills. This is a long-term engagement requiring close coordination with multidisciplinary engineering teams and regular access to development and test laboratories.

Key Responsibilities

  • Define, develop, and contribute to FPGA and hardware architectures in collaboration with systems, software, and board design teams.
  • Lead FPGA development lifecycle activities including architecture, coding, integration, simulation, validation, and verification.
  • Ensure compliance with avionics development standards, particularly DO-254, and support related certification activities.
  • Produce, review, and validate technical documentation, verification artifacts, and compliance reports.
  • Maintain complete traceability between requirements, design implementation, verification, and validation activities.
  • Supervise and validate complex FPGA block designs and implementations.
  • Serve as the technical interface between product engineering, hardware, software, systems, and manufacturing teams.
  • Support debugging, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis for hardware and FPGA-related issues.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to engineering methodologies, processes, and development efficiency.
  • Mentor and provide technical leadership to junior and intermediate engineers.

Required Qualifications & Technical Skills

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, Embedded Systems, or related discipline
  • OR
  • Master’s / PhD in Embedded Electronics or relevant field.
  • 10–15 years of experience in aerospace or avionics hardware development.
  • Strong expertise in VHDL and/or Verilog development.
  • Hands-on experience with FPGA/ASIC architecture, development, and verification.
  • Proficiency with FPGA platforms and toolchains including:
  • Xilinx
  • Altera (Intel FPGA)
  • Microsemi / Microchip
  • Strong understanding of:
  • FPGA technologies and architectures
  • Power consumption and startup behavior
  • Transient response and reliability considerations
  • High-speed buses and interfaces
  • Memory architectures and processing functions
  • Experience working in UNIX/Linux environments.
  • Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills.
  • Excellent communication and technical leadership capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with avionics certification standards including:
  • DO-254
  • DO-160
  • Exposure to avionics systems and products such as:
  • Civil or military mission computers
  • Cockpit displays
  • Embedded avionics platforms
  • Programming experience in:
  • Python
  • C
  • C++
  • Prior experience leading technical teams or mentoring engineers in a regulated aerospace environment.

Language Requirement

  • Fluency in French is mandatory
  • English communication skills are highly desirable due to collaboration with North American engineering teams.