Field-Programmable Gate Arrays architect, Montreal

Job Title: FPGA Architect

Location: Montreal, QC, Canada

Job Type: Full-Time

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Hardware & Test Avionics Team Lead (FPGA Architect) to join our Hardware Development team supporting advanced avionics programs in North America. This role is responsible for leading end-to-end FPGA architecture, development, integration, and verification activities for complex, safety-critical aerospace systems.

The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in FPGA technologies, avionics hardware development, and certification-oriented engineering practices, along with strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills. This is a long-term engagement requiring close coordination with multidisciplinary engineering teams and regular access to development and test laboratories.

Key Responsibilities

• Define, develop, and contribute to FPGA and hardware architectures in collaboration with systems, software, and board design teams.
• Lead FPGA development lifecycle activities including architecture, coding, integration, simulation, validation, and verification.
• Ensure compliance with avionics development standards, particularly DO-254, and support related certification activities.
• Produce, review, and validate technical documentation, verification artifacts, and compliance reports.
• Maintain complete traceability between requirements, design implementation, verification, and validation activities.
• Supervise and validate complex FPGA block designs and implementations.
• Serve as the technical interface between product engineering, hardware, software, systems, and manufacturing teams.
• Support debugging, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis for hardware and FPGA-related issues.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to engineering methodologies, processes, and development efficiency.
• Mentor and provide technical leadership to junior and intermediate engineers.

Required Qualifications & Technical Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, Embedded Systems, or related discipline
• OR
• Master's / PhD in Embedded Electronics or relevant field.
• 10–15 years of experience in aerospace or avionics hardware development.
• Strong expertise in VHDL and/or Verilog development.
• Hands-on experience with FPGA/ASIC architecture, development, and verification.
• Proficiency with FPGA platforms and toolchains including:
• Xilinx
• Altera (Intel FPGA)
• Microsemi / Microchip
• Strong understanding of:
• FPGA technologies and architectures
• Power consumption and startup behavior
• Transient response and reliability considerations
• High-speed buses and interfaces
• Memory architectures and processing functions
• Experience working in UNIX/Linux environments.
• Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and technical leadership capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with avionics certification standards including:
• DO-254
• DO-160
• Exposure to avionics systems and products such as:
• Civil or military mission computers
• Cockpit displays
• Embedded avionics platforms
• Programming experience in:
• Python
• C
• C++
• Prior experience leading technical teams or mentoring engineers in a regulated aerospace environment.

Language Requirement

• Fluency in French is mandatory
• English communication skills are highly desirable due to collaboration with North American engineering teams.