Senior FPGA Engineer (Verilog/Alveo U45N)

An extraordinarily talented group of individuals work together every day to drive TNS' success, from both professional and personal perspectives. Come join the excellence! Overview Responsibilities About Waypoint Trading Solutions Waypoint Trading Solutions is the infrastructure backbone of global trading. We provide secure, ultra-high-performance solutions, including sub-microsecond trading connectivity (Xpress), the world’s largest financial extranet (Radianz), and fully managed market data operations (Sentinel). Our platforms deliver nanosecond-level performance to 180+ global exchanges across 70+ countries. We are developing next-generation monitoring and acceleration solutions for our high-speed, low-latency trading networks using advanced FPGA technology, with a primary focus on the AMD Alveo U45N platform. About the Role As a Senior FPGA Engineer, you will lead the architecture, design, development, and optimization of sophisticated FPGA-based solutions that monitor and accelerate our mission-critical, ultra-low-latency trading infrastructure. You will drive complex network monitoring, high-performance packet processing, and custom datapath architectures that deliver deterministic reliability and performance in the most demanding financial markets environments. This is a senior, hands-on role focused on real-time, line-rate networking on AMD FPGA hardware within a Linux ecosystem. Key Responsibilities Architect, develop, and implement complex custom FPGA designs on the AMD Alveo U45N using the Vivado Design Suite, setting the technical direction for high-impact projects. Lead the design and optimization of high-speed network monitoring, packet capture, filtering, deep inspection, and analysis solutions for production low-latency trading networks. Design, integrate, and optimize advanced network interfaces, including Ethernet MACs, PCS/PMA layers, and custom protocols, to achieve sustained 100G+ line-rate performance with minimal latency. Drive OpenNIC-based FPGA NIC initiatives, including shell/role architecture, customization, QDMA integration, driver development, and full system-level optimization. Collaborate closely with network, systems, and trading infrastructure teams to deliver sophisticated monitoring capabilities that provide deep visibility into ultra-low-latency paths without introducing jitter or overhead. Own timing closure, including rigorous simulation, synthesis, implementation, and advanced debugging of complex FPGA designs. Profile, analyze, and continuously optimize designs for the lowest possible latency and highest throughput in live production trading environments. Mentor junior FPGA engineers, contribute to and maintain internal IP libraries, establish best practices, and support deployment, troubleshooting, and performance tuning in global data center environments. Document architectures and designs to a high standard while driving knowledge sharing across the team. Qualifications Requirements Extensive experience with AMD/Xilinx FPGA development, with deep expertise in UltraScale+ architectures (Alveo U45N or equivalent high-end platforms). Strong proficiency with the full Vivado tool flow (synthesis, implementation, timing analysis, constraints, and simulation using Vivado Simulator or ModelSim/Questa). Expert-level understanding of networking protocols and low-level packet processing, including Ethernet, TCP/IP, UDP, PTP, and related high-performance techniques. Proven track record of designing and implementing high-performance network interfaces on FPGAs (Ethernet MACs, DMA engines, transceivers, etc.). Hands-on, production-level experience with OpenNIC or similar open-source FPGA NIC frameworks, including shell/role development, QDMA, driver integration, and system-level customization. Highly skilled in Verilog/SystemVerilog, with a strong emphasis on high-frequency, deeply pipelined, resource-efficient designs. Solid experience working in Linux environments, including kernel drivers, user-space applications, and scripting for deployment and automation. Deep familiarity with high-speed interfaces: SFP+/SFP28/QSFP (10/25/40/50/100G Ethernet), PCIe Gen3/4, and high-speed transceivers. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent senior-level experience). Preferred Qualifications Background in financial services, high-frequency trading (HFT), or other ultra-low-latency networking environments. Experience with market data protocols, trading system architectures, or related domain knowledge. Prior work on hardware acceleration for monitoring, security (e.g., IPsec), virtual switching, or similar high-performance applications. Proficiency in Python, C/C++, or advanced scripting for testbench development, verification, and automation. Strong command of timing constraints, clock domain crossing (CDC), floorplanning, and high-frequency design methodologies. What We Offer The opportunity to lead cutting-edge FPGA development that directly powers global trading infrastructure at scale. Work alongside world-class experts in low-latency networking and financial markets technology. Access to state-of-the-art data center facilities and one of the largest global financial network footprints. If you are passionate about technology, love personal growth and opportunity, come see what TNS is all about! TNS is an equal opportunity employer. TNS evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, disability/handicap status or any other legally protected characteristic. With employees based in 21 countries around the world, TNS is a leading global provider of data communication and interoperability services to diverse industries, such as retail, banking, payment processing, telecommunications and the financial markets. TNS’ services extend to over 60 countries and we deliver mission critical solutions to many Fortune 500 companies. TNS employees play a vital role in the delivery of our services and we recognize them as our most valuable asset. We are proud to offer competitive salaries and benefit packages, and due to the global nature of our business we can offer opportunities to relocate to different locations, if your personal circumstances change. 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