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Contract Fpga Engineer Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

CrossFire Group

FPGA Development Engineer

Novi, MI

FPGA Development Engineer Location: Farmington Hills, MI USA We are seeking self-motivated ... in contract and direct-hire positions throughout the Midwest. Since our founding, CrossFire has ...

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Contract Fpga Engineer information

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$74.1K

$128.4K

$173K

How much do contract fpga engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 26, 2026, the average yearly pay for contract fpga engineer in Michigan is $128,399.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $113,300.00 and $145,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a contract FPGA engineer?

Contract FPGA Engineers are specialized professionals who design, develop, and test Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) for clients on a temporary or project basis. They typically work for organizations needing specific expertise for short-term projects rather than employing a full-time FPGA engineer. Their responsibilities often include HDL coding (such as VHDL or Verilog), simulation, hardware debugging, and integration with other hardware and software systems. Contract FPGA Engineers may work remotely or onsite and are usually engaged through agencies or as independent contractors.

What are some typical challenges a contract FPGA engineer may encounter when joining a new project mid-development?

As a Contract FPGA Engineer, joining a project mid-development often means quickly getting up to speed with existing codebases, documentation, and team workflows. Common challenges include understanding legacy designs, integrating your work with ongoing development, and adapting to varied toolchains or hardware platforms. Communication with other engineers and project managers is essential to clarify requirements and ensure seamless handovers. Adapting to different verification methodologies and debugging in unfamiliar environments can also be demanding, but these experiences contribute to skill growth and industry versatility.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a contract FPGA engineer, and why are they important?

A Contract FPGA Engineer requires strong proficiency in digital design, hardware description languages (HDL) like VHDL or Verilog, and a relevant degree in electrical or computer engineering. Experience with FPGA development tools such as Xilinx Vivado, Altera Quartus, and debugging equipment, along with certifications in FPGA or embedded systems, are highly valued. Excellent problem-solving skills, adaptability, and effective communication are vital soft skills for collaborating with diverse teams and managing project-based work. Mastery of these competencies ensures reliable, efficient FPGA solutions and successful delivery of client-driven projects.

What is the difference between Contract Fpga Engineer vs Contract Digital Signal Processing Engineer?

AspectContract Fpga EngineerContract Digital Signal Processing Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, FPGA design certificationsBachelor's or Master's in Electrical/Computer Engineering, DSP certifications
Work EnvironmentHardware design labs, FPGA development teamsResearch labs, embedded systems teams
Industry UsageAerospace, defense, telecommunicationsAudio, radar, communications systems

While both roles involve digital hardware and signal processing, Contract Fpga Engineers focus on designing and implementing FPGA hardware solutions, whereas Contract Digital Signal Processing Engineers specialize in developing algorithms for signal analysis and processing. The roles often overlap in industries like aerospace and telecommunications but differ in their core responsibilities and skill sets.

What are the most commonly searched types of Fpga Engineer jobs in Michigan?

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For Contract Fpga Engineer jobs in Michigan, the most frequently searched job titles are:

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Contract Fpga Engineer jobs near you

Lead Firmware & FPGA Engineer

Grand Rapids, MI • On-site

Acron Aviation
See more jobs at Acron Aviationexternal

Full-time

Re-posted yesterday

Job description

About Acron Aviation (Avionics - Surveillance):
Acron Aviation designs, engineers, and manufactures certified avionics systems that support safety-critical flight operations across commercial and military aviation. Within Avionics, the Surveillance product line develops and sustains systems that enable aircraft awareness, collision avoidance, and airspace interoperability. Our portfolio includes TCAS, Mode S transponders, ADS-B, and integrated surveillance solutions deployed across commercial, military, and rotorcraft platforms. This work is performed in highly regulated environments and demands deep expertise across systems, hardware, software, and RF throughout the full product lifecycle.
Job Title
Lead Firmware & FPGA Engineer - Surveillance
Position Summary
The Lead Firmware & FPGA Engineer is responsible for the technical leadership, architecture, development, certification support, and lifecycle management of advanced avionics systems spanning FPGA, firmware, and Complex Electronic Hardware (CEH) domains.
This role leads firmware, FPGA, and hardware engineering activities for airborne products including transponder, TCAS, surveillance, and communications systems while ensuring compliance with aerospace standards and customer requirements.
The position serves as the primary technical authority for firmware development, requirements definition, and design execution, including oversight of external engineering partners and contract design organizations. The successful candidate will lead firmware architecture and performance trade studies, leverage AI-enabled engineering tools to improve productivity and automation, and own the development of product hardware requirements and design documentation throughout the product lifecycle.
Technical Leadership
    • Lead engineering activities supporting the development of RF airborne avionics products from concept through certification and production
    • Define system architecture and allocate requirements across FPGA, firmware, CEH, RF, analog, digital, mixed-signal, software, mechanical, and systems engineering disciplines
    • Serve as technical lead for surveillance, communications, and collision avoidance products, including Mode S transponders, ADS-B systems, and TCAS equipment
    • Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and engineering oversight to multidisciplinary development teams
    • Support strategic product roadmaps and next-generation avionics technology initiatives

Firmware & FPGA Leadership
    • Lead firmware and FPGA architecture, design integration, and technical decision-making for avionics products
    • Establish firmware and FPGA requirements, interfaces, and performance budgets for timing, latency, throughput, resource utilization, determinism, fault handling, and system reliability
    • Drive firmware and FPGA trade studies and design reviews across requirements allocation, RTL implementation, state-machine design, timing closure, verification strategy, configuration management, and hardware integration
    • Lead execution of the DO-254 development process for Complex Electronic Hardware (CEH)
    • Coordinate validation, laboratory bring-up, and system integration activities across firmware, FPGA, hardware, software, and systems engineering teams
    • Support certification readiness by ensuring design evidence, verification coverage, traceability, lifecycle data, and compliance artifacts are complete and auditable

Requirements Development & Ownership
    • Develop, maintain, and own Hardware Requirements Documents (HRDs) and associated derived requirements
    • Ensure traceability between customer, system, hardware, software, and certification requirements
    • Lead requirements decomposition, validation, verification planning, and change management activities
    • Establish acceptance criteria and verification methods for hardware requirements

Outsourced Development Oversight
    • Manage and provide technical oversight of outsourced engineering partners supporting firmware, FPGA, RF, electrical, and hardware development activities
    • Define statements of work, technical deliverables, schedules, design reviews, and acceptance criteria
    • Conduct design audits and technical reviews to ensure compliance with company standards and certification requirements
    • Coordinate technical communication between internal stakeholders and external development organizations
    • Assess supplier technical risks and implement mitigation strategies

Firmware Design & Development
    • Direct the design and development of embedded firmware for complex avionics products
    • Review firmware architecture, detailed design artifacts, interface definitions, implementation approaches, and test results
    • Ensure firmware designs meet performance, determinism, reliability, maintainability, and certification objectives
    • Support integration activities across firmware, FPGA, electrical hardware, software, and system-level validation environments
    • Drive robust firmware development practices supporting traceability, verification coverage, configuration management, and certification compliance

Artificial Intelligence & Engineering Automation
    • Champion the adoption of AI technologies to improve engineering productivity, quality, and development efficiency
    • Maintain a continuous improvement mindset and evaluate opportunities for process optimization
    • Evaluate emerging AI technologies and integrate effective solutions into engineering workflows to reduce repetitive and low-value work

Verification & Validation
    • Lead firmware verification and validation activities throughout the development lifecycle, primarily through oversight of outsourced development partners
    • Review and approve test plans, procedures, reports, and qualification data
    • Support root cause analysis, troubleshooting, and corrective action investigations
    • Ensure complete requirements verification coverage and certification evidence generation

Required Qualifications
    • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
    • 10+ years of experience in aerospace, avionics, or safety-critical embedded product development
    • 5+ years of technical leadership experience leading complex firmware, FPGA, or embedded avionics development programs
    • Strong experience in embedded firmware architecture, design, integration, and verification for safety-critical electronic systems
    • Experience managing and overseeing external engineering design partners or contract development organizations
    • Experience developing and managing requirements documentation, traceability, and verification evidence for firmware or complex electronic hardware
    • Proven knowledge of RTCA DO-254 certification expectations applicable to airborne systems
    • Strong understanding of firmware integration challenges across FPGA, hardware, software, and system validation environments
    • Experience supporting certification and regulatory compliance activities for avionics or other highly regulated products

Preferred Additional Skills
    • Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline
    • Experience leading firmware development for FAA, EASA, TSO, ETSO, or military avionics programs
    • Familiarity with DO-178C, ARP4754A, and ARP4761 development and certification processes
    • Experience with FPGA-based designs, programmable logic integration, and coordination across firmware and hardware boundaries
    • Experience with embedded firmware supporting surveillance or communications technologies including Mode S Transponders, ADS-B, IFF, DME, TCAS, or ACAS
    • Experience implementing AI-assisted engineering workflows and automation solutions
    • Experience with DOORS or similar requirements management tools
    • Experience reviewing outsourced firmware development deliverables, plans, and verification artifacts
    • Project leadership or engineering management experience

Key Competencies
    • Technical leadership
    • Avionics systems thinking
    • Requirements engineering
    • Supplier management
    • Product ownership
    • Strategic planning
    • Risk management
    • Cross-functional collaboration
    • AI-enabled engineering innovation
    • Continuous improvement mindset
    • Strong written and verbal communication skills
    • Ability to influence technical direction across organizations

Equal Opportunity Statement
Acron Aviation is proud to be an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to treating all employees and applicants with respect and dignity and to maintaining a workplace free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
Additional Information:
Acron Aviation maintains a drug-free workplace and conducts pre-employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where allowed by law. Acron Aviation is an E-Verify employer.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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