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Junior Rtl Design Engineer Jobs in Alexandria, VA

Trident Systems LLC

Senior FPGA Engineer

Fairfax, VA · On-site

$97K - $181K/yr

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in RTL design, timing closure, simulation, and system ... Mentor junior engineers: provide training, guidance, and support as needed * Ability to support ...

Arlington County, VA

Water Design Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$83K - $149K/yr

The Design Engineer at the senior-level (Engineer III) is expected to perform the specific duties ... The junior-level (Engineer I) is expected to perform the specific duties listed below with ...

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Junior Rtl Design Engineer information

See Alexandria, VA salary details

$35.9K

$76.8K

$117.2K

How much do junior rtl design engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 31, 2026, the average yearly pay for junior rtl design engineer in Alexandria, VA is $76,848.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $51,900.00 and $85,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Senior engineers in specialized fields such as software engineering, petroleum engineering, and certain electrical or aerospace engineering roles can earn $300,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, advanced skills, and leadership responsibilities. High-level positions often require advanced degrees, certifications, and a strong track record of project management or technical expertise.

What is the salary of RTL design engineer?

The salary of a Junior RTL Design Engineer typically ranges from $70,000 to $100,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and company size. Entry-level positions may start lower, while experienced engineers with skills in Verilog, VHDL, and FPGA design can earn higher salaries.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Junior RTL Design Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Junior RTL Design Engineer, a solid background in digital logic design, hardware description languages (such as Verilog or VHDL), and a relevant engineering degree are essential. Experience with simulation and synthesis tools (like ModelSim, Synopsys, or Xilinx Vivado) and a basic understanding of ASIC or FPGA flows are typically required. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective teamwork skills help individuals excel in translating specifications into efficient hardware designs. These skills ensure accurate, reliable, and high-performance digital circuit development, which is crucial for meeting project goals and industry standards.

What engineers make $200,000 a year?

Senior engineers in fields such as software engineering, petroleum engineering, and certain specialized roles in finance or management can earn $200,000 or more annually. Achieving this level typically requires extensive experience, advanced skills, and often leadership responsibilities or specialized certifications.

What are Junior RTL Design Engineers?

Junior RTL Design Engineers are entry-level professionals who work on designing and verifying the Register Transfer Level (RTL) logic for digital integrated circuits. They typically use hardware description languages like Verilog or VHDL to describe and simulate the functionality of hardware blocks according to specifications. Their responsibilities often include coding, simulation, debugging, and collaborating with senior engineers to ensure the design meets performance and functional requirements. This role is crucial in the process of creating chips and digital systems used in various electronic devices.

What is the difference between Junior Rtl Design Engineer vs Digital Design Engineer?

AspectJunior Rtl Design EngineerDigital Design Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Electrical Engineering or related field; some certificationsBachelor's or higher in Electrical/Electronic Engineering; certifications vary
Work EnvironmentDesign teams in semiconductor or electronics companiesDesign and development teams in similar industries
Employer & Industry UsageCommonly employed in chip design, FPGA, ASIC developmentUsed in digital circuit and system design across industries

Both roles involve digital circuit design, but Junior Rtl Design Engineers focus more on RTL coding and verification, while Digital Design Engineers may handle broader digital system development. The roles often overlap in skills and work environment, with the main difference being scope and experience level.

What are some common challenges faced by Junior RTL Design Engineers when transitioning from academic projects to industry roles?

Junior RTL Design Engineers often find the transition from academic projects to industry roles challenging due to the increased complexity and scale of commercial designs. In industry, there is a strong emphasis on meeting strict timing, power, and area requirements, as well as adhering to rigorous verification and documentation standards. Collaboration with verification, physical design, and software teams is essential, and juniors may need to quickly adapt to using industry-standard EDA tools and workflows. Gaining proficiency in debugging and understanding legacy codebases are also typical hurdles. However, most teams provide mentorship and structured onboarding to help new engineers succeed.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

Senior engineers in specialized fields such as software engineering, data science, or executive engineering roles can earn $500,000 or more annually, especially with experience, advanced skills, and leadership responsibilities. High compensation often includes bonuses, stock options, or profit sharing, particularly in large tech companies or startups.
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Junior Rtl Design Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Junior Rtl Design Engineer job openings in Alexandria, VA as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 60% Full Time, 17% Part Time, and 23% Contract. Highlights an 90% In-person, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $76,848 per year, or $36.9 per hour.

Lead ASIC Digital Design Engineer

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc

Annapolis Junction, MD

$176K - $187K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted yesterday

General Dynamics Mission Systems rating

7.9

Company rating: 7.9 out of 10

Based on 30 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

127th of 241 rated software companies

Job description

We're looking for a skilled Lead ASIC Digital Design Engineer who has meaningful hands-on experience in RTL design and has contributed to complex digital hardware development. This is a technical role for someone who understands the full ASIC/FPGA design lifecycle and is ready to take on real ownership within a collaborative, high-performing team.

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, and understands the downstream implications of design decisions.

The right candidate is a self-starter who operates with minimal supervision — someone who takes ownership of their work, drives progress independently, and brings solutions rather than waiting to be directed.

What You'll Do

  - Own RTL design — Develop and lead RTL with a focus on correctness: bus fabric integrity, clock domain crossings, reset order-of-operations, and design-for-verification

  - Drive timing closure — Work through synthesis, place and route, and static timing analysis; understand root causes of timing failures and own fixes through resolution

  - Lead verification efforts — Develop and execute test and simulation plans; verify results and drive closure on failures

  - Own JIRA triage — Review and prioritize incoming issues; maintain an accurate and actionable backlog

  - Lead code reviews — Conduct RTL code reviews, setting technical standards and providing actionable feedback

  - Support program planning — Provide input to Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) development and Earned Value (EV) reporting; communicate accurate task status and schedule risk

  - Support proposals — Contribute to basis of estimates (BOEs) for proposals, providing accurate technical input on scope, complexity, and level of effort for ASIC/FPGA design tasks

  - Evaluate technology — Assess foundry technologies, device libraries, IP cores, and EDA tooling to inform design decisions

  - Collaborate broadly — Participate in Integrated Product Teams and working groups across divisions or companies

What We're Looking For

  - 8–12+ years of ASIC/FPGA design experience, with meaningful time spent as an RTL designer

  - Experience contributing to ASIC tape-out efforts, including timing closure and physical verification

  - Familiarity with FinFET process nodes (7nm, 5nm, or similar) is a meaningful differentiator

  - Experience with commercial foundry flows (TSMC, GlobalFoundries, Samsung, or equivalent)

  - Working knowledge of:

    - RTL design and microarchitecture

    - Bus fabric design and verification

    - Clock domain crossing (CDC) analysis

    - Reset sequencing and validation

    - Timing closure at advanced nodes

    - Power analysis and optimization

 Skills & Knowledge

  - Strong understanding of ASIC/FPGA engineering concepts, RTL coding practices, and synthesis flows

  - Familiarity with industry-standard EDA tools (synthesis, simulation, formal verification, STA)

  - 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

  - 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 take real ownership across the design lifecycle, with technical latitude to shape how problems get solved. This is a role where your work matters, your growth is supported, and the team values engineers who take initiative and see problems through to resolution.


This estimate represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors (geographic location, etc.). Actual pay may vary. This job posting will remain open until the position is filled.
USD $176,512.00 - USD $187,000.00 /Yr.

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

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