Lead Engineer 1 - FPGA and Test Development (PCBA)
Disciplinary Engineering and Science; LPB
- Type:
- Full Time
- Location(s):
- Salem (GEIS1) VA US
- Date Posted:
- Salary:
- Job Posting Start Date:
- 2026-04-28
- Job Posting End Date:
- Job ID:
- R5039700
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Job Description Summary
Responsible for designing, developing, and testing FPGA applications on PCBAs for Wind Turbines, specifically for blade Pitch or power frequency converters. FPGAs are used to implement fast control loops for power semiconductor control and protection; standard and proprietary communication protocols; and feedback / I/O functions.Engineer in this role will also support PCBA test and validation. This will include type tests as part of the board design cycle, and design of functional tests for production environmental use. Testing may also include some Failure Analysis (FA) from fielded units.
Job Description
Roles and Responsibilities
- Familiarity with PCBA (hardware and firmware) testing, National Instruments LabVIEW/testing with extension to factory support (testing and troubleshooting) at PCBA, cabinet and Wind farm levels.
- Own maintenance of existing FPGA designs including Verilog source code and simulation test benches.
- Lead design of new FPGA logic features including Finite State Machine design, communication protocol implementation, interfaces to third-party sensors and hardware, and communication interfaces to PLCs. Design and implement simulation test benches for new designs.
- Partner with converter or Pitch PCBA Hardware engineer to develop requirements and concepts for PCBAs, including logic device selection.
- Participate in board bring-up activities for new prototype hardware.
- Own maintenance of existing LabVIEW code and functional test hardware, including support of international teams at contract manufacturing facilities.
- Partner with converter PCBA Hardware engineer to specify, design, and implement functional test fixtures and LabVIEW code for new PCBA designs.
- Partner with converter Systems engineer for design of power converter and power system validation facilities or Partner with pitch system engineer for design of validation facilities
- Support technical reviews to evaluate new product requirement specifications for completeness and clarity for testing. Provide feedback for constant process and product improvement.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to provide technical mentoring to junior engineers. Ability to understand wider system- and business-level context of design & validation work.
- Architects, designs and/or programs/develops a small module or a large component, feature, set of feature, whole feature area or entire embedded software product. May be responsible for the creation of an entire product.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college in computer science or engineering
- At least 6 years of experience in FPGA design including Finite State Machine design, communication protocol implementation, interfaces to third-party sensors and hardware, and communication interfaces to PLCs
- 2-3 years of PCBA test validation experience through failure analysis or manufacturing tests
Desired Characteristics
- Familiarity with Verilog & System Verilog, including application code design & implementation, and testbench design & implementation.
- Familiarity with timing constraints for FPGA design.
- Familiarity with AMD Xilinx, Lattice, and/or Intel Altera FPGAs, and associated development & debugging tools (Vivado, etc.)
- Familiarity with National Instruments LabVIEW software and NI test hardware
- Familiarity with C/C++ programming language
- Familiarity with common serial communication protocols & interfaces: SPI, I2C, UART, ethernet, etc.
- Ability to read schematics & interpret PCBA layouts. Cadence, Altium, KiCad, etc. experience is a plus.
- Familiarity with Verilog & System Verilog, including application code design & implementation, and testbench design & implementation.
- Familiarity with timing constraints for FPGA design.
- Familiarity with AMD Xilinx, Lattice, and/or Intel Altera FPGAs, and associated development & debugging tools (Vivado, etc.)
- Familiarity with National Instruments LabVIEW software and NI test hardware
- Familiarity with C/C++ programming language
- Familiarity with common serial communication protocols & interfaces: SPI, I2C, UART, ethernet, etc.
- Ability to read schematics & interpret PCBA layouts. Cadence, Altium, KiCad, etc. experience is a plus.
- Understanding of electrical and thermal design aspects for power electronics systems
- Strong oral and written communication skills. Ability to document, plan, market, and execute programs.
- Experience designing and testing power electronic systems through product validation.
- Experience with instrumentation and measurement of power converters
- Demonstrated project leadership capability.
- Demonstrated ability to meet goals and objectives.
- Effective technical documentation skills
- Effective communication and presentation skills
- Proven interpersonal and leadership skills.
This role requires access to U.S. export-controlled information. If applicable, final offers will be contingent on ability to obtain authorization for access to U.S. export-controlled information from the U.S. Government.
Additional Information
GE Vernova offers a great work environment, professional development, challenging careers, and competitive compensation. GE Vernova is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.
GE Vernova will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen (as applicable).
Relocation Assistance Provided: Yes
For candidates applying to a U.S. based position, the pay range for this position is between $98,400.00 and $164,000.00. The Company pays a geographic differential of 110%, 120% or 130% of salary in certain areas. The specific pay offered may be influenced by a variety of factors, including the candidate’s experience, education, and skill set.
Bonus eligibility: discretionary annual bonus.
This posting is expected to remain open for at least seven days after it was posted on April 28, 2026.
Available benefits include medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage; access to Health Coach from GE Vernova, a 24/7 nurse-based resource; and access to the Employee Assistance Program, providing 24/7 confidential assessment, counseling and referral services. Retirement benefits include the GE Vernova Retirement Savings Plan, a tax-advantaged 401(k) savings opportunity with company matching contributions and company retirement contributions, as well as access to Fidelity resources and financial planning consultants. Other benefits include tuition assistance, adoption assistance, paid parental leave, disability benefits, life insurance, 12 paid holidays, and permissive time off.
GE Vernova Inc. or its affiliates (collectively or individually, “GE Vernova”) sponsor certain employee benefit plans or programs GE Vernova reserves the right to terminate, amend, suspend, replace, or modify its benefit plans and programs at any time and for any reason, in its sole discretion. No individual has a vested right to any benefit under a GE Vernova welfare benefit plan or program. This document does not create a contract of employment with any individual.