Senior FPGA Reverse Engineer

STR’s Cyber Division is hiring a Senior FPGA Reverse Engineer who will leverage their digital hardware design background to work within a multi-disciplinary team solving unique problems surrounding FPGA reverse engineering.

We are seeking a candidate to execute FPGA reverse engineering tasks and support software development to improve and automate the process. A key responsibility will be netlist analysis, which involves studying gate-level layouts of FPGA applications to craft a behavioral understanding of the design through a combination of logic circuit analysis and characterization through register transfer level (RTL) simulations. Candidates will also support efforts in operationalizing emerging hardware reverse engineering capabilities to better enable gate-level netlist analysis. Tool development involves writing software leveraging existing frameworks and insight based on the FPGA reverse engineering process to improve STR’s capability in this emerging field. A FPGA reverse engineer should be prepared to brief the internal team and STR’s customers on RE findings and provide updates on tool development.

What you will do:

• Perform FPGA reverse engineering work within a team to identify behavioral details of an application
• Model, test, and document RE findings using hardware modeling and simulation platforms
• Prepare reports and presentations for STR’s customers and collaborators detailing FPGA RE findings
• Assist in research for emerging FPGA and hardware reverse engineering capabilities
• Develop software supporting STR’s FPGA reverse engineering capabilities and identify new areas for tool development
• Participate in design reviews and testing for FPGA RE tools

Who you are:

• This position requires the ability to obtain a Top Secret (TS) security clearance, for which U.S. citizenship is needed by the U.S. Government
• Bachelors Degree in Computer Engineering/Electrical & Computer Engineering with at least 5 years of relevant experience
• Strong problem solving skills and ability to apply a technical background to non-traditional problems
• Experience working with hardware description languages (i.e., Verilog, SystemVerilog, VHDL)
• Experience developing applications targeting FPGAs including design, synthesis, and configuration
• In depth knowledge of industry standard FPGAs (i.e., Altera, Xilinx), their development environments (i.e., Quartus, Vivado), RTL simulation, and project compilation workflows
• Strong background with digital design and logic concepts
• Software development experience ideally in Python, C, and/or C++
• Ability to prepare and present technical material to customers and internal staff

Nice to have:

• Active Top Secret (TS) Security Clearance
• Deep knowledge of FPGA architecture
• Hardware troubleshooting experience including using logic analyzers and oscilloscopes
• Experience using Matlab and Simulink
• Embedded systems experience including sensor interfacing with an FPGA or microcontroller
• Knowledge of signal processing implementation techniques common to FPGA implementations
• Leadership experience especially for hardware, FPGA, and/or embedded systems design efforts

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $138,000 - $189,000

The salary range listed is based on external market data. Final offers are based on factors, such as but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, training, key skills/critical skills, security clearances, and prevailing market and business conditions.

STR is a growing technology company with locations near Boston, MA, Arlington, VA, near Dayton, OH, Melbourne, FL, Carlsbad, CA, Atlanta, GA, and Denver, CO. We specialize in advanced research and development for defense, intelligence, and national security in: cyber; next generation sensors, radar, sonar, communications, and electronic warfare; and artificial intelligence algorithms and analytics to make sense of the complexity that is exploding around us.

STR is committed to creating a collaborative learning environment that supports deep technical understanding and recognizes the contributions and achievements of all team members. Our work is challenging, and we go home at night knowing that we pushed the envelope of technology and made the world safer.

STR is not just any company. Our people, culture, and attitude along with their unique set of skills, experiences, and perspectives put us on a trajectory to change the world. We can't do it alone, though - we need fellow trailblazers. If you are one, join our team and help to keep our society safe! Visit us at for more info.

STR is an equal opportunity employer. We are fully dedicated to hiring the most qualified candidate regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any portion of the employment process, email us at View email address on aiapply.co and provide your contact info.

Pursuant to applicable federal law and regulations, positions at STR require employees to obtain national security clearances and satisfy the requirements for compliance with export control and other applicable laws.