FPGA Engineer (BE-CEM-EDL-2025-102-GRAP)

Job Description

Your responsibilities

Are you passionate about cutting-edge technology and eager to work on innovative projects? We are looking for an FPGA designer to join the Electronics Design and Low-Level Software (EDL) section within the Control Electronics and Mechatronics (CEM) group at CERN.

As part of our team, you will contribute to the White Rabbit project: a CERN-born technology and now an industry-standard that provides sub-nanosecond synchronisation and deterministic data transfer to distributed devices interconnected with a WR network.

We are looking for a skilled hardware and gateware (HDL) developer to work with us on the next generation of the WR switch (White Rabbit Switch v4) It is the core component of a WR network and now a new, higher performance version is under development. Join us and take an active role in the design of this fully open-source Ethernet switch!  

As an FPGA and Hardware Designer you will:

• Develop and maintain HDL modules (mostly VHDL);
• Develop simulation test benches (mostly SystemVerilog);
• Assist in the development of production tests to be conducted post-hardware manufacturing;
• Assist in hardware design, reviews and production;
• Develop automated tests, to be run on hardware in Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines;
• Collaborate with your colleagues in the hardware/software co-design process, where hardware, HDL, firmware, Linux device drivers and host applications are developed and reviewed together.

Your profile

Skills:

• Required:
  • FPGA design and simulation using VHDL, Verilog or System Verilog;
  • Design of electronic circuits (schematics, PCB) based on FPGA or System-on-Chip;
  • Git-based development, code reviews, merge requests and CI pipelines.
• Optional:
  • Low-level C programming;
  • Python and PyTest;
  • Linux device drivers.
• Spoken and written English or French, with a commitment to learn the basics of the other language.

Eligibility criteria:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
• You have a professional background in Electronic engineer (or a related field) and have either:
  • a Master's degree with 2 to 6 years of post-graduation professional experience;
  • or a PhD with no more than 3 years of post-graduation professional experience.
• You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.

Additional Information

Job closing date: 18.08.2025 at 23:59 CEST.

Contract duration: 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months maximum.

Working hours: 40 hours per week

Target start date: 01-October-2025

Job reference: BE-CEM-EDL-2025-102-GRAP

Field of work: Electrical or Electronics Engineering

What we offer

• A monthly stipend ranging between 6287 and 6911 Swiss Francs per month (net of tax).
• Coverage by CERN's comprehensive health scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
• Depending on your individual circumstances: installation grant; family, child and infant allowances; payment of travel expenses at the beginning and end of contract.
• 30 days of paid leave per year.
• On-the-job and formal training at CERN as well as in-house language courses for English and/or French.

About us

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

We are on a Quest. A Journey into discovery like no other. Bring your expertise to our unique work and develop your knowledge and skills at pace. Join world-class subject matter experts on unique projects, in a Quest for greater knowledge and deeper understanding.

Begin your CERN Quest. Take Part!

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success.

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