The posting
We are looking for a (Senior) FPGA Engineer to build the realtime image-processing hardware behind our displays, based at our Helsinki HQ. Our optics are computational, so the FPGA isn't a supporting act: it's where sensor data becomes a lightfield the eye can use, under a latency budget with no slack. You'll do it with agentic AI in the loop, an approach only a few have taken into FPGA work yet.
WHY DISTANCE?
At Distance Technologies, the problem we're solving is simple to state and hard to solve: the amount of data in the world is endless, but human capacity is not. We are building a fundamentally new perception layer between humans and machines, transforming transparent surfaces into interfaces unlike the world has ever seen. Think of the windscreen of a car, the visor of a helmet, or a sight device, each becoming a new front-end for AI. The way we turn bits and atoms into expanded human perception is protected by over 50 granted international patent families. We build it for two demanding worlds: defense and automotive. And we build it from a single foundation fusing software, hardware and computational optics.
There are 50 of us today, with decade-long experience building world's best products, optics, and open-source operating systems. We partner and build with globally leading companies like KIA https://distance.tech/news/distance-announces-collaboration-with-kia-integrating-new-panoramic-lightfield-hud-into-the-kia-vision-meta-turismo-concept-car, General Dynamics https://distance.tech/news/distance-announces-collaboration-with-general-dynamics-land-systems-uk, Supacat https://distance.tech/news/supacat-and-distance-technologies-sign-framework-agreement-to-enable-aerospace-grade-hud-capability-across-the-entire-supacat-hmt-ground-vehicle-platform, and Galvion https://distance.tech/news/galvion-and-distance-collaborate-on-advanced-helmet-systems-with-distances-computational-optics-and-acuity-os, and we were Google Ventures' first investment in Finland. What we're building is hard, and will fundamentally change how we operate and see the world, and that's exactly why we seek exceptional people who enjoy building things never seen before.
THE ROLE
You'll own the FPGA logic behind our realtime image processing, working closely with board designers and embedded software teams. The initial focus is the Field Operator HUD https://distance.tech/news/distance-technologies-announces-a-new-head-mounted-always-on-visual-intelligence-system-for-defence-vehicle-operators, our head-mounted AR system that fuses sensor feeds into a defence vehicle crew's line of sight.
Your core responsibilities include:
- Architecture & Coding: Translate system-level specifications into parallel hardware logic using HDLs such as SystemVerilog or VHDL.
- Simulation & Verification: Create the testbenches that simulate the design's behaviour, verifying the logic and catching bugs before anything is deployed onto physical hardware.
- Timing Closure & Optimisation: Manage clock domains, optimise latency, and make sure the design meets the strict constraints of the target FPGA architecture.
- Hardware Bring-Up & Lab Work: Work with board designers and embedded software teams to integrate the FPGA onto the physical circuit board, using oscilloscopes and logic analysers to debug.
WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?
- FPGA development enhanced with agentic AI, which almost no one is doing yet. Even for a seasoned FPGA engineer, it's a genuine chance to work at a frontier and build skills that barely exist anywhere else
- Computational optics, where image transformation happens in the FPGA itself, a different domain that makes for more interesting problems and opportunities
- Your logic ships in real user hardware, running out in the field on helmets and in vehicles rather than staying in the lab or datacenters
- Defence and automotive, where a dropped frame or a blown timing budget has real consequences, so the constraints you work on will actually matter
OUR EXPECTATIONS
- You're proficient in HDLs such as SystemVerilog or VHDL, and you lean on scripting languages like Python or Tcl for test and build automation.
- You've worked with at least one major vendor toolchain: Lattice Diamond/Radiant, Xilinx/AMD Vivado, or Intel/Altera Quartus.
- You have a deep understanding of digital logic, state machines, pipelining, high-speed communication interfaces such as MIPI, PCIe, Ethernet and DDR, and image formats.
- You're curious about agentic AI coding tools and keen to adopt them into how you work.
- You do well in a fast-paced, low-hierarchy, quickly changing environment. A startup, in other words, where agility and curiosity matter.
- Location-wise, this role is based at our Helsinki HQ and is mostly onsite. We seek fluent English, as our team is international. Finnish is not required.
DID WE GET YOU INTERESTED?
Apply via the application form! Our recruitment process includes 2-3 discussions with the team. If you want to learn more about the position, reach out to our recruiter, Joel Kinnunen, at [email protected]. Kindly note that, for data privacy reasons, we are not able to process applications sent via email.
