Fpga Engineer

Hey there, FPGA Engineers. Do you want a role with precisely zero micro-management or silly managerial nonsense? Dream of doing purposeful work which literally saves lives? Want to play with cool hardware which can easily cost 6-figures? Tired of chasing nanoseconds in a trading role? For your sake, please, keep reading.
  
Before jumping into the technical, you want to know what’s in for you, and that’s fair enough. Below are some of the things you’ll receive, and some of the things you can expect, in this permanent role.
  

• You’ll earn a base salary around the $140k - $190k mark (that’s $155,400 - $210,900 with super), aligned with your skills and experience.
• If you're based interstate but happy to move to Sydney, relocation assistance is available.
• You’ll be working on things which genuinely matter. Think safeguarding our, and other nation’s interests, and protecting critical infrastructure. This ain’t a toxic trading gig.
• You’ll be surrounded by some of the sharpest operators around, playing with some of the most cutting-edge tech in existence (AI/ML, for example).
• You’ll be joining a very well-funded business with a strong financial position. This equates to continued, constant investment back into the business, instead of penny pinching.
• You’ll be stepping into a vocal culture recognition – the good work you do will be publicly acknowledged, and it’s going to come right from the top.
• You’ll be joining an exciting business! We get it, this is a very subjective term, and nigh on impossible to qualify, but please believe us when we say this business is doing some rather cool stuff, and making some pretty cool moves.
• Perhaps not a “benefit,” per se (especially in 2024), but where other companies are mandating 5-days on-site, rest assured you’ll be able to split your time between home and the office. You won’t be shackled to a desk.
• You’re going to be working with a diamond of a Team Lead. Yes, this is also subjective, but if you gel with people who are genuine, empathetic, intelligent, and reasonable, you’ll like this TL.

 
What’s this business all about, and what will you be getting involved in?
  
This business operates in the broader defence space, but don’t get it twisted; they’re absolutely one of the good guys.
  
Some defence companies build products designed to do harm. This business builds products designed to defend.
  
Electronic Warfare is their bread and butter, hence you’ll be executing projects which straddle FPGA (of course), as well as all things RF, digital signal processing, AI/ML, hardware, etc.
  
What you’ll be working on is bespoke. You’ll be doing things which haven’t been done before. You’ll be performing work which really, truly matters. In your own way, you’ll be contributing to the safety and wellbeing of people around the world. You’ll be on a mission, and you’ll succeed.
  
So, what will you actually be doing?
  
While a “typical” day doesn’t exist in this role, here are some common things you can expect:
  

• First things first, this is a technical role. Wave goodbye to boring admin/managerial duties.
• You’ll be joining a nimble team of 4 engineers (you’ll be the 5th), who genuinely like and support each other.
• You’ll be tackling a lot of R&D and experimentation.
• You’ll be acting as a senior engineer on multiple different projects at any one time, typically guiding a more junior engineer on a given project, as they assist you with implementation.
• As requirements come in, you’ll suggest the best way forward, across things like system architecture, pipelining, etc.
• You’ll be flexing your mind muscles on a daily basis. Why? Because the projects you’ll be tackling will be very open ended. Think little strict requirements. You’ll guide things, and ultimately figure out how best to tackle the project.
• While the more junior members of the team typically do low level implementation, if you want to get dirty with the tools, go for it.

  
To succeed in a role like this, what will you need?
  
Let’s keep this simple. To dominate a role like this, you need to be very sharp across:

• FPGA
• Digital Signal Processing

  
That’s it. Just those 2. Doesn’t matter where you gained your knowledge, as long as you have it. Also, there’s no set amount of experience this role needs, but it won’t suit someone fresh out of university. So, whether you have 3, 5, 8, 10+ years of experience, this could be the gig for you.
  
Below are some nice to haves. If you’re not saying “yes” to all of the below, but can point to demonstrable FPGA and DSP chops, and you’re interested, apply anyway, as you’ve already met the major requirements of this role.
  

• Do you have experience using RFSoC?
• Do you have a degree in a relevant field like Electrical/Electronic Engineering?
• Can you program in low-level languages like C and C++? Specifically writing FPGA module firmware?
• Can you script your way out of a paper bag, likely in Python?
• Do you have a general understanding of radio frequency principles?
• Do you have exposure to ML, generally?

  
If any of this has piqued your interest, please consider applying. There’s much more information, especially technical, that can be shared with you on a confidential basis which may help you decide if this is the job for you.
  
HOW TO APPLY
  
Firstly, please know that any application you make is treated with abject confidentiality. The only people who will know you’ve applied are you & me. Reach out, and let’s chat about what you want.
  
Click APPLY and/or contact Michael directly on ********@decipherbureau.com for a 100% confidential, informal conversation where your privacy will absolutely be respected.
  
Decipher Bureau and the clients we partner with are committed to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.