Join Altera as the Business Development Director – U.S. Government and lead strategic growth initiatives across the Aerospace, Defense, and Government (ADG) market! This executive-level role is responsible for developing and executing Altera's U.S. Government business strategy, expanding key customer and partner relationships, and driving adoption of Altera FPGA technologies across defense, intelligence, aerospace, and national security programs.
The Director will serve as a senior external representative for Altera, engaging directly with executive government stakeholders, acquisition leaders, defense primes, and strategic partners to influence technology roadmaps, identify emerging opportunities, and accelerate growth across the U.S. Government sector.
Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Business Development LeadershipDevelop and execute Altera's U.S. Government business development strategy across the Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community (IC), defense laboratories, aerospace organizations, and federal agencies.
Identify, qualify, capture, and expand strategic growth opportunities aligned with Altera's long-term ADG objectives.
Build and maintain executive-level relationships with government decision-makers, acquisition leaders, program executive offices, defense innovators, and industry partners.
Lead strategic account planning, pipeline development, business forecasting, and growth initiatives across key government accounts.
Serve as Altera's senior representative in customer-facing engagements, executive briefings, industry events, and strategic business reviews.
Develop relationships with prime contractors, system integrators, and technology partners to position Altera solutions within current and future defense architectures.
Influence customer requirements and acquisition strategies to align with Altera's technology roadmap and capabilities.
Represent Altera at industry conferences, government forums, trade shows, and executive-level engagements, including AUSA, DSEI Americas, Space Symposium, and related events.
Lead capture efforts for high-value government opportunities, including RFIs, RFPs, BAAs, OTAs, SBIR/STTR programs, and strategic co-development initiatives.
Develop competitive positioning, win strategies, and partnership models that strengthen Altera's market presence.
Drive adoption of Agilex™ FPGA technologies and next-generation solutions supporting wideband RF, radar, electronic warfare, AI acceleration, secure communications, aerospace, and satellite communications applications.
Support expansion of government-sponsored development programs and technology transition opportunities from research to operational deployment.
Collaborate with executive leadership, engineering, product management, marketing, contracts, legal, and field application engineering teams to execute growth strategies.
Provide market intelligence, customer insights, and competitive analysis to influence product roadmaps and investment priorities.
Mentor and guide business development team members while helping scale Altera's government market presence.
Serve as a key advisor to senior leadership on government market dynamics, acquisition trends, and strategic business opportunities.
The pay range below is for Bay Area California only. Actual salary may vary based on a number of factors including job location, job-related knowledge, skills, experiences, trainings, etc. We also offer incentive opportunities that reward employees based on individual and company performance.
$209.5K - $300K USD
We use artificial intelligence to screen, assess, or select applicants for the position. Applicants must be eligible for any required U.S. export authorizations.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, Business, or a related field; Master's Degree preferred.
12+ years of experience in business development, capture management, technical sales, program management, government strategy, or related leadership roles supporting U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, aerospace, defense, or national security customers.
Demonstrated success leading strategic growth initiatives and capturing complex, multi-million-dollar government opportunities.
Proven track record developing executive-level relationships across government agencies, defense contractors, and technology organizations.
Strong understanding of FPGA technology, embedded systems, digital signal processing (DSP), RF systems, radar, electronic warfare (EW), software-defined radio (SDR), communications systems, or related defense technologies.
Experience influencing government acquisition programs and technology adoption decisions.
Deep knowledge of U.S. Government acquisition, budgeting, contracting, and program execution processes.
Strong leadership, communication, presentation, negotiation, and executive engagement skills.
Ability to travel up to 30% domestically.
This position may involve work on U.S. Government contracts that require access to controlled or classified information. Accordingly, all applicants must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance as a condition of employment. Failure to obtain or maintain the required security clearance may result in the withdrawal of an employment offer or termination of employment, consistent with applicable law.
Preferred Qualifications
Advanced degree (M.S., MBA, or Ph.D.) in Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Business, or a related discipline.
Existing relationships within organizations such as DARPA, DIU, AFRL, NRL, Space Force, Army, Navy, Air Force, intelligence agencies, or major defense primes.
Experience with FPGA-based solutions, AI/ML acceleration, direct RF architectures, aerospace systems, space and satellite communications, ISR, radar, EW, or military communications.
Experience transitioning advanced technologies from research and prototyping into operational defense programs.
Familiarity with ITAR, EAR, and other government compliance requirements.
Experience leading strategic partnerships, consortiums, or government-funded technology development programs.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, Business, or related field
- 12+ years of experience in business development, capture management, technical sales, program management, or government strategy supporting U.S. Government/DoD/IC/aerospace/defense customers
- Demonstrated success leading strategic growth initiatives and capturing complex multi-million-dollar government opportunities
- Proven track record developing executive-level relationships across government agencies, defense contractors, and technology organizations
- Strong understanding of FPGA technology, embedded systems, DSP, RF systems, radar, EW, SDR, and communications systems
- Experience influencing government acquisition programs and technology adoption decisions
- Deep knowledge of U.S. Government acquisition, budgeting, contracting, and program execution processes
- Strong leadership, communication, presentation, negotiation, and executive engagement skills
- Ability to travel up to 30% domestically
- Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance
- Eligibility for any required U.S. export authorizations (e.g., ITAR/EAR compliance requirements)
- Advanced degree (M.S., MBA, or Ph.D.) in Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Business, or related discipline
- Existing relationships with organizations such as DARPA, DIU, AFRL, NRL, Space Force, Army, Navy, Air Force, intelligence agencies, or major defense primes
- Experience transitioning advanced technologies from research/prototyping into operational defense programs
- Familiarity with ITAR, EAR, and other government compliance requirements
- Experience leading strategic partnerships, consortiums, or government-funded technology development programs
Altera (altera.com) Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Altera (altera.com) and has not been reviewed or approved by Altera (altera.com).
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Retirement Support — Feedback suggests retirement programs are robust, with offerings such as a 401(k) and a pension. This breadth supports long-term financial security.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Feedback suggests time-off policies are generous, including PTO, paid sick days, and paid holidays. Wellness initiatives like gym memberships further support balance.
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Parental & Family Support — Feedback suggests parental leave is generous. Family-building support, including fertility benefits and adoption reimbursement, is highlighted as part of the package.
Altera (altera.com) Insights
What We Do
Altera: Accelerating Innovators Altera provides leadership programmable solutions that are easy-to-use and deploy in applications from cloud to edge, offering limitless AI possibilities. Our end-to-end broad portfolio of products including FPGAs, CPLDs, Intellectual Property, development tools, System on Modules, SmartNICs and IPUs provide the flexibility to accelerate innovation. Altera is helping to shape the future through pioneering innovation that unlocks extraordinary possibilities for everyone on the planet.
