FPGA Designer

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Reference #: 31213

Waterdown, Ontario

About L3Harris WESCAM

As a subsidiary of L3Harris Technologies, the WESCAM division develops advanced optical sensor and targeting systems for global defense, national security, search & rescue and airborne law‑enforcement agencies. The MX‑series systems provide stabilized high‑magnification electro‑optical and infrared images from airborne, marine and ground‑based platforms, enabling our customers to see first and act first.

About The Role

We are a team full of bright and friendly people who collaborate to solve complex problems. Our process focuses on rigorous requirements, thorough documentation and verification to produce high‑quality, robust designs that our customers can rely on. The team is split into a Design group, responsible for creating innovative solutions, and a Verification group, focused on confirming modules meet specifications. Collaboration across departments ensures system‑level success and supports a culture of continuous improvement.

Our Team Values

• Passionate about excellence, yet humble enough to learn from others
• Collaborators who know teamwork improves results
• Excited to follow a workflow that produces high‑quality designs
• Respectful in interactions, especially when mistakes occur

Primary Responsibilities

• Write and validate FPGA design requirements
• Generate high‑quality documentation
• Create FPGA designs using VHDL to satisfy requirements
• Integrate library modules into larger FPGA designs
• Verify, test and debug in simulation (Questa Sim) and hardware
• Assist the verification team as required
• Use Xilinx design tools for synthesis, implementation, debugging and timing closure
• Follow departmental practices and coding guidelines
• Participate in regular design reviews
• Present FPGA status updates at NPI project meetings
• Support product sustaining operations
• Provide input and support to others outside the FPGA team
• Share lessons learned to build team knowledge
• Participate in company educational events and training as needed
• Propose and engage in continuous innovation across and within groups

Required Capabilities

• Fluent in VHDL, or fluent in Verilog with rapid VHDL learning capability
• Competent in English for written requirements, design descriptions and documentation
• Proficient at finding and resolving bugs through simulation and hardware testing
• Comfortable generating timing constraints for multi‑clock domain designs using TCL
• Experience analyzing timing failures and adjusting for timing closure
• Experience with revision control systems such as SVN or GIT
• Attention to detail, able to identify subtle errors and corner cases
• Ability to learn from and teach others

Recommended Skills & Knowledge

• Knowledge of digital signal processing techniques
• Experience designing video systems
• Experience designing with AXI interfaces
• Experience with MPSoC architectures
• Working knowledge of Linux command line interfaces
• Working knowledge of Python, SystemVerilog, TCL and MATLAB
• Experience with DO254 or other standard safety‑critical processes

Desired Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 2 years of relevant experience, or
• Graduate Degree and 0–2 years of relevant experience, or
• In lieu of a degree, minimum 6 years of relevant experience
• Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) certificate or ability to obtain one

At L3Harris, we foster an inclusive and equitable workplace. We are committed to treating all employees and applicants for employment with respect and dignity and maintaining a workplace free from unlawful discrimination. For applicants with disabilities, we will provide accommodation to enable them to perform to the best of their abilities.

L3Harris performs background checks prior to employment. All applicants must be eligible for registration with the Controlled Goods Program and maintain a positive security assessment. Some positions may require a Canada Government “Reliability” status and/or Level 2 (Secret) security clearance. L3Harris also performs pre‑employment substance abuse testing where required.