Senior Principal ASIC FPGA Engineer

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Education Requirements:

Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering or Mathematics field, plus a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience.

Clearance Requirements:

Department of Defense Secret security clearance is required at time of hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

We're looking for a seasoned ASIC Lead Engineer who has been there — not just written RTL, but fought through timing closure under pressure, untangled bus fabric correctness issues, debugged reset sequencing nightmares, and brought complex silicon to tape-out. This is a hands-on technical leadership role for someone who has lived the full ASIC design lifecycle and has the scars to prove it.

If your career has been primarily running P&R tools, this probably isn't the right fit. We need an RTL designer at heart — someone who thinks in architecture and microarchitecture first, and understands the downstream implications of every design decision.

The right candidate is a self-starter who operates with minimal supervision — someone who takes ownership of their domain, drives progress independently, and brings solutions rather than waiting to be directed. You'll be well-integrated within a collaborative team, but we expect you to lead from the front, not follow from behind.

What You'll Do

• Own the architecture — Define the ASIC/FPGA technical approach from concept through silicon, including system
  partitioning, microarchitecture, and interface definition
• Drive RTL design — Lead detailed RTL development with a focus on correctness: bus fabric integrity, clock domain
  crossings, reset order-of-operations, and design-for-verification
• Close timing — Navigate synthesis, place and route, and static timing analysis with deep understanding of what it
  takes to meet timing in advanced process nodes — not just run the tools, but fix the problems
• Lead verification — Serve as the primary point of contact for verification activities; develop and own test and
  simulation plans that establish rigorous functional criteria; verify results and drive closure on failures
• Triage and track — Own JIRA triage for the team: reviewing incoming issues, prioritizing work items, and ensuring
  the backlog reflects program reality
• Lead code reviews — Conduct and lead RTL code reviews, setting the technical bar and providing actionable, constructive feedback to engineers at all levels
• Support program planning — Contribute to Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) development and Earned Value (EV)
  reporting; provide accurate technical input on task status, completion criteria, and schedule risk
• Evaluate process flows — High-level design through GDSII, including synthesis, P&R, timing, power analysis, and DFT considerations
• Guide technology selection — Assess foundry technologies, device libraries, IP cores, and EDA tooling to inform
  design decisions
• Support proposals and subcontracts — Lead ASIC/FPGA technical approach on large proposals; may serve as book boss on medium proposals; manage technical subcontracts including SOW development, source selection, and work product
  acceptance
• Grow the team — Mentor junior and mid-level engineers; contribute to the development and improvement of
  organizational ASIC/FPGA design processes
• Collaborate broadly — Participate in multi-divisional or multi-company Integrated Product Teams and working groups

What We're Looking For

Experience

• 10–15+ years of ASIC/FPGA design experience, with the majority spent as an RTL designer — not in a purely backend or physical design role
• Proven experience taking designs through full ASIC tape-out, including timing closure, physical verification, and
  post-silicon bring-up
• Deep familiarity with FinFET process nodes (7nm, 5nm, or similar) — understanding the nuances of FinFET vs. planar
  technology is a meaningful differentiator for this role
• Experience with commercial foundry flows (TSMC, GlobalFoundries, Samsung, or equivalent)
• Demonstrated expertise in:
  
  • RTL design and microarchitecture definition
  • Bus fabric design and correctness verification
  • Clock domain crossing (CDC) analysis and closure
  • Reset sequencing and order-of-operations validation
  • Timing closure at advanced nodes — not just constraint writing, but root cause analysis and fixing
  • Power analysis and optimization

Skills & Knowledge

• Expert-level understanding of ASIC/FPGA engineering concepts, RTL coding practices, and synthesis flows
• Strong familiarity with industry-standard EDA tools (synthesis, simulation, formal verification, STA)
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently — identifying problems, driving resolution, and keeping work moving
  without requiring day-to-day direction
• Ability to evaluate vendor and foundry capabilities to support product development decisions
• Track record of innovative technical contributions — not just executing to spec, but shaping the approach
• Solid understanding of organizational processes and the ability to apply them pragmatically across a program
  lifecycle, including schedule management and earned value inputs
• Proficiency in JIRA for issue tracking and backlog management
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office for documentation and communication

Why This Role
You won't be handed a spec and told to code. You'll help shape what we build, how we build it, and what it takes to get it right. This is a role with real technical latitude, the kind of program impact that shows up in new business, and a team that values engineers who know the difference between running the tools and knowing what the tools are telling you. If you're the kind of engineer who sees a gap and fills it — without being asked — this is the role for you.

#LI-JH1

#LI-Hybrid

General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of 12,000+ top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defense and scientific arenas. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency. We offer highly competitive benefits and pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose. You will also enjoy a flexible work environment where contributions are recognized and rewarded. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we invite you to join our high-performance team!

Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans