Entry-Level Electrical Hardware Engineer FPGA - Pittsfield, MA

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As an Electrical Hardware Engineer specializing in FPGA, networking, and cyber infrastructure at General Dynamics Mission Systems, you will support the design, development, integration, and verification of secure, high-performance hardware subsystems for mission-critical defense systems. FPGA design and development will be a core focus, supporting reconfigurable hardware solutions within networking and cyber-resilient architectures.

This is an entry-level engineering opportunity for a motivated engineer who is eager to build technical depth while working alongside experienced multidisciplinary teams. You will contribute throughout the hardware development lifecycle—from requirements analysis and design through integration, test, troubleshooting, and technical reviews—while developing practical experience in FPGA-based hardware, networking technologies, and hardware cybersecurity.

This fully on-site position is based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Responsibilities
Apply electrical engineering principles to support the development, testing, and integration of FPGA- and networking-focused hardware.
Participate in requirements analysis, definition, management, functional analysis, performance analysis, design, integration, and verification activities.
Support FPGA development activities, including HDL design, simulation, synthesis, timing analysis, verification, and laboratory bring-up.
Assist with schematic analysis, component selection, PCB design and layout reviews, and hardware troubleshooting.
Contribute to network hardware and physical-layer design activities, including Ethernet interfaces and high-speed digital connectivity.
Apply knowledge of networking protocols—including Ethernet, TCP/IP, UDP, ARP, switching, routing, and multicast—as applicable to program requirements.
Support implementation of network segmentation and data-isolation approaches, including VLANs, subnetting, interface separation, and access-control boundaries.
Apply foundational hardware cybersecurity principles, including encryption, secure boot, trusted platform architectures, root of trust, and secure key handling.
Conduct root-cause investigations, experimental testing, and corrective-action development for hardware issues under the guidance of experienced engineers.
Participate in technical reviews and contribute to the continuous improvement of electrical engineering processes, tools, and work products.
Develop and communicate technical findings, issues, impacts, and corrective actions to the engineering team.
Collaborate with systems, software, cyber, test, manufacturing, project leadership, suppliers, and external customers.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related Science, Engineering, or Mathematics field plus a minimum of 2 years of relevant experience; or a Master’s degree plus a minimum of 6 months of relevant experience.
Working knowledge of electrical engineering concepts, principles, processes, and design tools.
Experience or demonstrated coursework in one or more of the following areas:
FPGA or HDL development
Digital hardware design
PCB design
Networking hardware
Telecommunications
Hardware cybersecurity
Ability to communicate technical issues, impacts, and corrective actions clearly in written and verbal formats.
Ability to work independently on assigned tasks, exercise sound engineering judgment, and address increasingly complex technical problems.
Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, as required.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with Verilog, VHDL, SystemVerilog, or related FPGA development tools.
Experience with commercial networking hardware, telecommunications, semiconductor products, or defense systems.
Familiarity with high-speed serial interfaces, Ethernet PHY/MAC architectures, or network-stack implementation.
Familiarity with VLANs and other approaches to network traffic separation and data isolation.
Familiarity with hardware security technologies, including encryption algorithms, secure boot, and trusted platform concepts.
Interest in identifying opportunities to apply AI and emerging technologies to engineering productivity, continuous improvement, and innovation.

Basic Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering or Mathematics field.

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Department of Defense Secret security clearance is preferred at time of hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.