Vice President - FPGA & Hardware Engineering

Organization Overview

We are a 15-year-old semiconductor systems company transitioning to a VC-backed product platform model. With 250 engineers across Gurugram and Bangalore, we serve Tier-1 semiconductor companies and defense contractors globally.

This is not a design services organization. We are a product company building FPGA-based platforms for AI Infrastructure, Aerospace & Defense, Robotics, and 5G/6G Test & Measurement.

Role Summary

Title: Vice President - FPGA & Hardware Engineering

Location: Gurugram / Bangalore, India (Hybrid / On-site)

Reporting To: Chief Operating Officer

Organisation Size: 150 FPGA/Hardware Engineers (Multi-site)

We seek a technical engineering leader to drive product innovation, architectural excellence, and execution discipline across our FPGA-based hardware platforms. This is a pure engineering leadership role you will define products, architect solutions, lead technical teams, and deliver world-class FPGA platforms on budget and on schedule.

Core Mandate

The Vice President of Engineering is accountable for:

• Product Definition: Define technical specifications, system architecture, and feature roadmaps for proprietary FPGA platforms
• Engineering Execution: Deliver products from concept through production on defined timelines and NRE budgets
• Technical Innovation: Drive product-level innovation in FPGA architectures, AI/ML acceleration, and advanced interfaces
• Team Leadership: Build, mentor, and scale a 150-person engineering organisation across Gurugram and Bangalore.

Key Responsibilities

1. Product Definition & Technical Leadership

System Architecture & Product Vision

Define end-to-end architecture for FPGA-based platforms from silicon selection and IP strategy to board design, firmware, and system validation. Translate market requirements into technical specifications and multi-year product roadmaps.

Innovation Leadership

Drive product-level innovation in:

• Heterogeneous FPGA architectures (AMD Versal, Altera Agilex)
• Deterministic AI/ML inference for edge computing
• High-speed interfaces (PCIe Gen6/7, CXL, 200G/400G/800G Ethernet, PQC, etc.)

Technical Decision Authority

Own all major technical decisions: FPGA device selection, IP vs. custom RTL trade-offs, verification strategy, toolchain selection, and design methodology standards.

2. Engineering Execution & Delivery

End-to-End Product Delivery

Lead cross-functional engineering teams through full product lifecycle:

• RTL design, synthesis, place & route, timing closure
• Board design (high-speed digital, power integrity, thermal)
• Firmware and embedded software
• System integration and performance validation
• Certification and compliance

Execution Discipline

Establish and enforce engineering rigor: design reviews, verification closure (SystemVerilog/UVM), release gates, and post-silicon validation protocols. Manage NRE budgets and ensure predictable delivery against committed schedules.

Risk Management

Identify and mitigate technical risks early: silicon errata workarounds, timing closure challenges, signal integrity issues, thermal constraints, and supply chain dependencies.

3. Organization Building & Leadership

Multi-Site Engineering Leadership

Unify Gurugram and Bangalore engineering teams under common design methodologies, verification frameworks, and release processes. Build a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and accountability.

Talent Development

Build and mentor the next generation of technical leaders. Create clear technical career paths from Senior Engineer through Principal/Fellow levels.

Retention & Culture

Maintain 90% retention of Senior Staff+ talent through technical mentorship, challenging problems, IP co-ownership, and a culture that values deep technical expertise. Attract top FPGA talent from across India.

Team Scaling

Scale the engineering organization from 150 to 200+ engineers over 24 months while maintaining quality, velocity, and culture.

Required Qualifications:

Education & Experience

• Education: Master's or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related discipline
• Experience: 18+ years in FPGA/hardware engineering, including 8+ years leading engineering teams of 100+ engineers
• Product Delivery Track Record: Must have led engineering teams that delivered 2 FPGA-based products from architecture through volume production (>500 units shipped). Pure design services or consulting experience does not qualify.

Technical Expertise Core Requirements

FPGA Mastery

• Deep expertise with AMD/Xilinx (Versal, UltraScale+) and/or Intel/Altera (Agilex, Stratix) device families
• Advanced proficiency with Vivado, Vitis, Quartus, and High-Level Synthesis (HLS)
• Hands-on experience with complex FPGA architectures: AI Engines, DSP slices, high-speed transceivers, DDR controllers

AI/ML on FPGA

• Practical experience deploying AI/ML inference on FPGAs (Vitis AI, Versal DPU, or custom accelerators)
• Understanding of model quantization, DPU vs custom RTL trade-offs, and deterministic latency optimization
• Experience with vision processing, sensor fusion, or real-time packet processing workloads

High-Speed Digital Design

• Proven delivery of platforms with PCIe Gen4/5, 100G+ Ethernet, or RF-ADC/DAC
• Signal integrity, timing closure, and power integrity at advanced nodes

Verification & Validation

• Strong command of SystemVerilog/UVM, constrained-random verification, and coverage-driven methodologies
• Experience with HW/SE co-verification, emulation platforms, and FPGA prototyping

Board-Level Systems

• Understanding of complete system design: power architecture, thermal management, PCB layout constraints for high-speed signals
• Experience with ruggedized or embedded systems for defense/aerospace applications

Leadership Competencies:

Technical Leadership at Scale

• Proven ability to lead 100+ engineer organizations across multiple sites in India
• Experience unifying distributed teams under common methodologies & quality standards
• Track record of mentoring and developing senior technical leaders

Execution Excellence

• Demonstrated ability to deliver complex hardware products on time and within budget
• Experience managing multi-year product roadmaps with 8-12 month development cycles
• Disciplined approach to risk management, schedule estimation, and resource planning

Communication & Influence

• Ability to translate complex technical architectures into clear roadmaps
• Comfortable presenting technical designs to customers, partners, and executives
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for design documentation, architecture specifications, and technical reviews

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: Negotiable based on experience and location
• Equity: Significant ESOP allocation
• Benefits: Health insurance and performance bonuses tied to delivery milestones