FPGA Engineer (Algo)

DRW is a diversified trading firm with over 3 decades of experience bringing sophisticated technology and exceptional people together to operate in markets around the world. We value autonomy and the ability to quickly pivot to capture opportunities, so we operate using our own capital and trade at our own risk.

Headquartered in Chicago with offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, we trade a variety of asset classes, including Fixed Income, ETFs, Equities, FX, Commodities, and Energy, across all major global markets. We have also leveraged our expertise and technology to expand into three non-traditional strategies: real estate, venture capital, and cryptoassets.

We operate with respect, curiosity, and open minds. The people who thrive here share our belief that it’s not just what we do that matters—it’s how we do it. DRW is a place of high expectations, integrity, innovation, and a willingness to challenge consensus.

We are currently seeking an FPGA Engineer to join one of our trading teams. While DRW has been leveraging FPGA technology for a number of years, you will have the opportunity to build an FPGA application from scratch for an existing team. We’re seeking a candidate who has a strong understanding of software and hardware interaction. This person will participate in the full development lifecycle, including system- and block-level testing, of low-latency, high-throughput FPGA designs.

This role is for the Chicago office only.

Responsibilities:

• Architect and implement new FPGA applications, including synthesis, place and route, static timing analysis, and documentation, from the ground up.
• Research and evaluate a variety of cutting-edge FPGA hardware and technologies.
• Propose creative solutions to overcome FPGA and hardware limitations.
• Liaise directly with software and other design teams.
• Conduct lab debugging and characterization of new hardware.

Candidate Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer or Electrical Engineering with 3+ years of experience within the field; a master’s degree or higher also counts toward experience.
• Solid hardware engineering experience, especially with FPGA.
• Highly autonomous with a can-do attitude and able to lead an FPGA-based project from system requirements to production.
• Strong capacity to quickly evaluate FPGA-based project feasibility based on hardware limitations.
• Strong skills in RTL logic design using Verilog and verification, with 2+ years of experience writing Verilog.
• Experience with the FPGA design flow, including synthesis, place and route, and static timing analysis.
• Experience designing system-on-chip architectures, memory and processor subsystems, networking, and peripheral interconnect.
• Knowledge of the TCP/IP stack.
• Strong working knowledge of either Xilinx or Altera FPGA design flow.
• Experience with functional verification using high-level methodologies, such as SystemVerilog, is a plus.
• Excellent research and data-gathering skills.

Compensation and Benefits:

The annual base salary range for this position is $150,000 to $250,000, depending on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and relevant skill set. The position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition, DRW offers a comprehensive suite of employee benefits, including group medical, pharmacy, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) with discretionary employer match, short- and long-term disability coverage, life and AD&D insurance, health savings accounts, and flexible spending accounts.