Lead FPGA / Hardware Engineer

Join the elite team at QDSS, where our engineers are at the forefront of developing cutting-edge Aerospace, Defense, Space, and Medical Device products. Your work will make a real impact, contributing to the core of engineering solutions that drive technological advancements.

Quest Defense Systems & Solutions is seeking an FPGA / Hardware Team Lead to support the development of advanced instrumentation and control electronic systems for the nuclear power industry. This role will support FPGA design, verification, simulation, integration, and test activities for complex control system hardware used in a highly regulated, safety-focused environment.

This is a technical leadership role for an engineer who can contribute directly to FPGA development and verification while also helping guide execution for a small engineering team. The selected candidate will be involved in design and test specifications, FPGA simulation, integration support, development of test hardware and software, and execution of informal and formal test campaigns.

This role is best suited for someone who enjoys staying technically involved while also taking ownership of team coordination, delivery commitments, and engineering quality.

The position may be based in Wilmington, NC, or performed remotely, with approximately 10 to 15% travel during testing, integration, and key design phases. All candidates must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents.

Key Responsibilities:

FPGA Design, Verification & Technical Execution

• Support FPGA development, simulation, integration, and test activities for instrumentation and control electronic systems.
• Develop, update, and review FPGA design documentation, including design specifications, test specifications, requirements, and traceability documentation.
• Perform FPGA design and verification using languages and methodologies such as VHDL, SystemVerilog, and UVM.
• Support simulation, debugging, root cause analysis, and resolution of FPGA design or verification issues.
• Participate in FPGA design flow activities, including design implementation, simulation, synthesis, timing analysis, integration, and test support.
• Support development and execution of informal and formal test campaigns for FPGA and hardware products.
• Prepare, develop, and support engineering test fixtures, test tools, simulations, and related hardware/software used in the development of I&C electronic systems.

Team Leadership & Execution

• Provide technical leadership and day-to-day coordination for a team of FPGA, hardware, and test engineers.
• Own sprint execution, task coordination, delivery commitments, and schedule visibility for assigned work.
• Help translate program requirements and technical objectives into actionable engineering tasks.
• Drive accountability, remove roadblocks, and support consistent progress across design, verification, integration, and test activities.
• Guide and mentor engineers by providing technical direction, leveraging subject matter experts, and helping the team make sound engineering decisions.
• Balance technical risk, program priorities, and resource needs to support on-time, high-quality delivery.

Customer & Stakeholder Interface

• Serve as a day-to-day technical point of contact for program management, customers, and internal stakeholders.
• Communicate progress, risks, blockers, and mitigation plans clearly and professionally.
• Support technical interchange meetings, sprint reviews, design reviews, test readiness reviews, and milestone reviews.
• Coordinate across FPGA, hardware, systems, software, and test organizations …