Hardware Design Engineer – FPGA Systems
Location: Cambridge
Employment Type: Permanent
Ampere Recruitment is partnering with a leading European developer to identify a Hardware Design Engineer to join a small, highly skilled R&D team advancing next-generation power converter technology.
This position focuses on the design, integration, and validation of FPGA-based control hardware used in high-performance power electronics platforms. You’ll play a central role in developing complex digital and mixed-signal circuits, bringing designs from concept and schematic through to prototype and verification.
It’s a hands-on hardware role, ideal for an engineer who enjoys lab work, real-world testing, and working closely with embedded and power electronics specialists to create robust, production-ready systems.
Key Responsibilities
* Design and develop FPGA-based hardware for real-time control and signal processing.
* Create and maintain schematics, PCB layouts, and component selections using modern EDA tools (e.g. Altium).
* Verify and validate hardware performance using oscilloscopes, logic analysers, and power test equipment.
* Support FPGA engineers with board-level integration, timing closure, and signal-integrity reviews.
* Collaborate with embedded software and power design teams to ensure system-level compatibility.
* Conduct design reviews, generate documentation, and maintain version control for hardware releases.
Qualifications & Experience
Essential:
* Degree in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
* Proven experience in FPGA-based hardware design and digital circuit development.
* Proficiency in schematic capture, PCB layout, and hardware bring-up/testing.
* Solid understanding of high-speed digital design, signal integrity, and EMC.
* Experience using standard lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analysers, power supplies, etc.).
Desirable:
* Familiarity with VHDL/Verilog and FPGA toolchains (AMD/Xilinx – Vivado, Vitis).
* Understanding of power electronics fundamentals and gate-drive/interface circuitry.
* Experience with Matlab/Simulink for control algorithm validation.
* Knowledge of Ethernet/EtherCAT, SPI, and CAN interfaces.
* Scripting experience (Python, TCL) for test automation or hardware configuration.
Why Apply?
You’ll join a forward-thinking engineering group developing cutting-edge converter and control hardware for renewable energy and grid-connected applications.
Expect technical autonomy, access to advanced test facilities, and the satisfaction of taking innovative designs from concept to field-tested reality.
If you’re a hardware-focused FPGA engineer who enjoys practical design, validation, and problem-solving in the lab, Ampere Recruitment would love to hear from you.
Contact Ampere Recruitment today to learn more or apply in confidence.