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Fpga Emulation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Emulation Engineer

Saratoga, CA · On-site

$44.50 - $50.75/hr

Experience with emulation platforms such as Palladium, Veloce, Zebu, or FPGA prototyping. * Familiarity with emulation tools and methodologies including BFMs, transactors, and hybrid environments.

Debugging experience with SoC interconnects, PCBs, and FPGA emulation. Strong knowledge of SoC architecture, boot flows, and power sequencing. Understanding of BIOS, OS (Windows/Linux), and driver ...

Hands-on experience with FPGA emulation, silicon bring-up, characterization and debug. Experience with mixed signal design. Experience with display interconnect standards such as MIPI, DP, HDMI.

Senior FPGA Engineer (DOD cleared)

Tucson, AZ · On-site

$122K - $157K/yr

This role covers the full FPGA lifecycle from requirements and architecture through VHDL coding ... Experience with emulation platforms such as Veloce. * Strong technical documentation and review ...

ASIC Digital Design Engineer Lead

Austin, TX · On-site

$134K/yr

Hands-on experience with FPGA emulation, silicon bring-up, characterization and debug. Experience with mixed signal design. Experience with display interconnect standards such as MIPI, DP, HDMI.

Emulation Engineer

Saratoga, CA · On-site

$185K - $250K/yr

The ideal candidate will be responsible for building and deploying emulation and FPGA models from RTL designs using industry-standard tools and methodologies. This role involves close collaboration ...

Principal FPGA Engineer (DOD cleared)

Tucson, AZ · On-site

$122K - $157K/yr

This role supports the FPGA lifecycle from requirements and architecture through VHDL coding ... Experience with emulation platforms such as Veloce. * Strong technical documentation and review ...

ASIC Digital Design Engineer Lead

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$167K/yr

Hands-on experience with FPGA emulation, silicon bring-up, characterization and debug. Experience with mixed signal design. Experience with display interconnect standards such as MIPI, DP, HDMI.

Emulation Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$55 - $60/hr

Strong hands-on experience with Palladium/ZeBu emulation platforms. * Good knowledge of ... Experience with FPGA prototyping is an added advantage. Skills: * Strong problem-solving and ...

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Fpga Emulation information

See salary details

$70K

$147.1K

$210.5K

How much do fpga emulation jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 22, 2026, the average yearly pay for fpga emulation in the United States is $147,056.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $123,000.00 and $169,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Fpga Emulation vs Fpga Design Engineer?

AspectFpga EmulationFpga Design Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related fields; certifications like Certified FPGA EngineerBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related fields; certifications like Certified FPGA Engineer
Work EnvironmentUses specialized hardware platforms for testing and validation; often in labs or R&D facilitiesDesigning, coding, and simulating FPGA architectures; typically in design teams or R&D labs
Industry UsagePrimarily in verification, validation, and system integration phasesInvolved in the development, optimization, and implementation of FPGA designs

While both roles require similar educational backgrounds and certifications, Fpga Emulation focuses on testing and validation using specialized hardware, whereas Fpga Design Engineers concentrate on creating and optimizing FPGA architectures. Understanding these differences helps clarify career paths and job expectations in the FPGA industry.

What are some common challenges faced by FPGA Emulation Engineers during project development?

FPGA Emulation Engineers often encounter challenges such as debugging complex hardware-software interactions, optimizing emulation speed for large-scale designs, and ensuring accurate synchronization between emulated components. The role typically involves collaborating closely with design, verification, and software teams to resolve issues quickly and maintain project timelines. Staying up-to-date with evolving tools and methodologies is crucial, as is strong communication to coordinate across multidisciplinary teams.

What is FPGA emulation?

FPGA emulation is the process of using Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to mimic the behavior of digital circuits or systems, often for the purpose of verifying hardware designs before they are manufactured. This allows engineers to test and debug their designs in a real hardware environment, which is faster and more accurate than software simulation alone. FPGA emulation is commonly used in the development of complex systems-on-chip (SoCs), as it helps catch design errors early and speeds up the overall verification process. It bridges the gap between software simulation and physical prototyping, providing a high-performance and flexible platform for hardware validation.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an FPGA Emulation Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an FPGA Emulation Engineer, you need a solid background in digital design, hardware description languages (like VHDL or Verilog), and experience with FPGA architectures, typically supported by a degree in electrical engineering or a related field. Familiarity with emulation platforms such as Mentor Graphics Veloce, Synopsys ZeBu, or Cadence Palladium, as well as debugging and verification tools, is essential. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you collaborate with design and verification teams. These skills ensure accurate hardware validation, efficient bug detection, and smooth integration within complex chip development cycles.
More about Fpga Emulation jobs
What job categories do people searching Fpga Emulation jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Fpga Emulation jobs are:
Infographic showing various Fpga Emulation job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 96% Full Time, 1% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $147,056 per year, or $70.7 per hour.

Senior FPGA Engineer

Legion Technical Solutions LLC

Tucson, AZ • On-site

$150K - $160K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 23 days ago


Job description

Benefits:
  • 401(k)
  • Dental insurance
  • Health insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Vision insurance

FPGA Engineers develop & verify designs for all major FPGA vendors and device families including: Xilinx, Altera, and Microsemi. 
Designs are implemented using VHDL for the following applications: gigabit serial interfaces, Radio Frequency (RF) and Electro-Optical (EO) DSP, controls, data links, embedded processing and processor interfaces. Designers work with circuit card designers and systems engineers to develop requirements, architect new parts, collaborative modeling of algorithms, code development, simulation, and place and route. 
Designs are verified against requirements and design support is expected from requirements definition through integration and test. 
Qualifications You Must Have:
  • Minimum 5 years of experience to include at least 1 of the following:  Digital design and VHDL coding  Xilinx or Microsemi devices and flow tools  
  • Delivering FPGA solutions to system level applications  
  • Hands on experience with integration and debug  
  • Desired FPGA design experience in one or more of the following areas:  
  • Radar processing techniques  
  • Image processing techniques for visual and infrared sensors  
  • Embedded systems design using ARM, Microblaze, or Nios processors  
  • Gigabit serial interfaces and multi-gigabit transceivers (MGTs)  
  • Constrained random verification in UVM using System Verilog  Verification utilizing emulation platforms, such as Veloce