Senior FPGA Engineer

Senior FPGA Engineer - Permanent - Full Time (Mostly Onsite)

Salary: £52,000 - £62,000 DOE

Location: Lincoln - Read on if you’re not local

Benefits include:

• 25 days annual leave (inclusive of December shutdown) • Buy or sell up to 5 days’ leave • Two pension schemes • Private Medical & Dental Insurance • Life Assurance (4 x salary) • Save and share schemes • Electric/Hybrid car leasing • Cycle to work • Retail discounts • Continuous Professional Development • Annual Wellness Allowance, plus more here

We’re open to engineers both within defence and from adjacent sectors (semiconductors, comms, HPC), where these FPGA skillsets are directly transferable. Relocation support is available.

Why this role matters

Electromagnetic Warfare is no longer a niche capability. It is central to how modern operations are conducted across air, land and maritime domains.

At MASS, our Electronic Warfare Operations Support (EWOS) Group works at the heart of that challenge, developing software, systems and training that support the UK and its allies in operating effectively within the electromagnetic battlespace.

This role sits right at the centre of that.

As a Senior FPGA Engineer, you will design and deliver real-time signal processing capability that underpins mission-critical systems. This is not abstract R&D or isolated component work. These are systems that directly influence operational outcomes.

If you are currently working in semiconductors, communications, high-performance computing or advanced electronics, your FPGA and signal processing experience will translate directly into this environment.

If you are in a larger organisation, you may be contributing to a small part of a much bigger system. Here, you will see how your work fits into the full chain and the role it plays in delivering operational capability.

Why Lincoln?

We recognise that the right person for this role may not be local.

We actively support relocation to Lincoln (up to £8k). This role is an opportunity to move into a domain where your work has clear, real-world impact.

Lincoln is one of the UK’s key hubs for Electronic Warfare and spectrum operations, with close proximity to MOD and RAF customer environments, including the JEWOSC ecosystem at RAF Waddington.

That means:

• Closer interaction with end users
• Greater visibility of how systems are actually used
• A stronger connection between engineering and critical operational effect
• You will be working in an environment where EW capability is actively developed, tested and applied, not just specified.

This role does require a strong on-site presence. While there is some flexibility, the majority of your time will be spent in Lincoln or working alongside customers in the UK and internationally.

How you’ll support us

You’ll lead the design and development of FPGA-based systems that sit within complex RF and signal processing chains.

Working closely with system engineers, software teams and domain specialists, you’ll translate requirements into robust, high-performance implementations.

You’ll:

• Lead FPGA design, implementation and verification for RF signal processing and high-throughput systems
• Develop on AMD/Xilinx RFSoC (Zynq UltraScale+) and Intel FPGA platforms (Agilex/Stratix)
• Integrate with high-speed ADC/DAC interfaces and real-time data pipelines
• Work across VHDL, SystemVerilog and MATLAB/Simulink HDL workflows
• Support lab-based integration, test and evaluation using RF instrumentation
• Contribute to architectural decisions and system-level design
• Drive best practice in verification, documentation and design quality
• Provide technical leadership and mentor junior engineers
• Work directly with stakeholders to shape requirements and solutions

The invaluable experience you’ll bring, to help us achieve more

We’re expecting that you’ve done this role before and are comfortable operating at both a technical and leadership level.

Essential experience

• Strong experience developing FPGA-based DSP systems for real-time or RF-centric applications
• Experience with MATLAB/Simulink and HDL Coder workflows
• Experience deploying to Xilinx RFSoC and/or Intel FPGA platforms
• Experience working with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, signal generators, analysers)
• Experience leading or mentoring engineers

Desirable experience

• Embedded Linux or bare-metal C development
• High-speed interfaces (AXI, JESD204, memory architectures)
• Streaming data architectures and high-throughput signal handling
• Experience within EW, radar or spectrum-related systems

Our non-negotiables

Due to the highly secure nature of the work, you must be:

• A UK National
• Eligible to obtain and maintain UK Government SC clearance (Gov.uk guidance)

Who is MASS?

MASS is an independent, global technology company, trusted by highly secure organisations to provide advanced digital services that manage data and keep information safe. With a strong heritage in defence, we deliver robust solutions into environments where security expertise is essential.

We work in close partnership with our customers, combining deep technical expertise with innovative thinking to deliver agile, resilient solutions that secure advantage and enable digital transformation.

MASS is an equal opportunities employer. We value smart, skilled and motivated people, and in return we offer a supportive, friendly workplace where everyone has the opportunity to make a real impact.

Apply today to see how working for MASS could work for you.