FPGA R&D Engineer

Location: Leuven, Belgium; onsite research and development role

Company

hirify.global is a research center focused on nanotechnology, advanced technology research, and high-performance embedded systems.

What you will do

• Design, implement, verify, and integrate FPGA solutions using VHDL and/or Verilog.
• Develop high-speed digital interfaces including PCIe, DDR, Ethernet, CSI-2, JESD204, Aurora, and serial transceiver-based links.
• Build high-bandwidth data acquisition, real-time processing, and control systems on SoC FPGA platforms.
• Build, customize, and maintain embedded Linux distributions, board support packages, and development flows.
• Automate testing, build flows, laboratory validation, and data analysis; perform simulation, timing analysis, hardware debugging, system validation, and design optimization.
• Collaborate with electronics, software, system engineering, and research teams on demonstrators, prototypes, reusable FPGA IP, and development methodologies.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• At least 3 years of FPGA development experience in industrial, product-oriented, or R&D environments.
• RTL design in VHDL and experience with high-speed interfaces and timing-critical digital design.
• Knowledge of the Xilinx toolchain, including Vivado, Vitis, and Petalinux, is required.
• Experience with SoC FPGA platforms such as Zynq, Zynq UltraScale+, Versal, or equivalent.
• Experience building, configuring, and maintaining embedded Linux distributions and board support packages.
• Solid programming skills for automation, verification, scripting, and tooling.
• Understanding of digital design, timing closure, clock-domain crossing, pipelining, FPGA verification, and hardware debugging.
• Problem-solving, collaboration, communication, ownership, innovation, and adaptability in multidisciplinary R&D environments.

Nice to have

• SystemVerilog or knowledge of the Lattice FPGA toolchain.
• Embedded software development experience in C/C++.
• Laboratory bring-up experience with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers.
• Experience with automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, or reusable FPGA IP development.
• Exposure to advanced technology prototyping or multidisciplinary R&D projects.

Culture & Benefits

• Multidisciplinary R&D environment combining electronics, embedded software, system engineering, and advanced technology research.
• International, open, multicultural, and informal working environment focused on passion, excellence, connectedness, and integrity.
• Opportunities to take ownership of system-level designs and collaborate with experts across different domains.
• Technical and personal development through hirify.global.academy and the company’s corporate university.
• Market-appropriate salary with fringe benefits.

Hiring process

• Applications must be submitted directly by candidates; unsolicited agency resumes are not accepted unless covered by a prior written agreement with hirify.global for this specific opening.