Altera is seeking a Director of Engineering to lead a world-class engineering organization responsible for the development, integration, and delivery of software and FPGA IP solutions that enable next-generation FPGA platforms.
This leader will drive the strategy, architecture, and execution of software IP technologies supporting FPGA design, AI acceleration, embedded systems, networking, security, DSP, and emerging workloads. The role requires a strong combination of technical depth, organizational leadership, and product execution experience, with responsibility for delivering high-quality, scalable IP solutions that accelerate customer adoption and business growth.
Key Responsibilities
Engineering Leadership
Lead, grow, and develop a high-performing software IP engineering organization, including managers, technical leads, and individual contributors.
Define organizational objectives, technical strategy, hiring plans, and execution priorities aligned with Altera's business goals.
Establish a culture of technical excellence, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Coach and mentor engineering leaders while building strong succession plans across the organization.
Software IP Strategy & Development
Define and execute the roadmap for FPGA software IP, libraries, frameworks, and platform technologies.
Lead development of reusable, scalable, and production-ready IP solutions for FPGA-based systems.
Oversee the delivery of software IP supporting:
Embedded processing systems
AI/ML acceleration
Networking and communications
DSP and signal processing
Security and cryptography
High-speed connectivity and interfaces
System management and infrastructure software
Drive architecture reviews, technical decision-making, and development best practices.
Product & Technology Leadership
Partner with Product Management, FPGA Architecture, Software Engineering, and Customer Engineering teams to define future software IP requirements.
Evaluate emerging technologies, industry trends, and customer feedback to guide investment decisions.
Influence future FPGA platform capabilities through software innovation and ecosystem development.
Ensure software IP solutions align with customer needs, market opportunities, and long-term technology roadmaps.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Work closely with Quartus, FPGA architecture, silicon engineering, validation, and applications teams to ensure successful integration and deployment of IP solutions.
Collaborate with strategic customers and partners to understand requirements and drive adoption.
Serve as a senior technical leader in executive reviews, customer engagements, and product planning activities.
Operational Excellence
Own execution, quality, schedules, resource planning, and organizational performance.
Drive development productivity through modern engineering practices, automation, CI/CD infrastructure, and robust validation methodologies.
Establish metrics to measure software quality, customer adoption, engineering efficiency, and business impact.
Lead execution across geographically distributed engineering teams.
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 - $303.2K 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.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field; Master's Degree preferred.
12+ years of experience in software engineering, FPGA development, semiconductor technologies, or related technical domains.
6+ years of engineering leadership experience managing large, geographically distributed engineering organizations.
Strong experience developing software platforms, frameworks, middleware, SDKs, drivers, or IP solutions.
Deep understanding of FPGA technologies, embedded systems, and hardware/software co-design principles.
Proven track record delivering complex software products and platform technologies at scale.
Experience leading cross-functional initiatives spanning hardware, software, and product organizations.
Excellent communication, organizational, and executive leadership skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience developing FPGA IP, embedded software, device drivers, firmware, or acceleration frameworks.
Knowledge of Quartus, FPGA design flows, RTL development, verification methodologies, and FPGA system integration.
Background in AI/ML acceleration, networking, communications, DSP, embedded systems, or data center technologies.
Experience building software ecosystems supporting FPGA customers and developers.
Familiarity with Agile development methodologies, CI/CD practices, and modern software engineering processes.
Strong semiconductor industry experience within FPGA, ASIC, EDA, or related markets.
Leadership Characteristics
Successful candidates will demonstrate:
Strategic thinking and organizational leadership
Strong technical and architectural judgment
Customer and product mindset
Ability to build and scale engineering teams
Data-driven decision making
Commitment to engineering excellence and innovation
Impact
As Director of Engineering , you will shape the future of Altera's software IP portfolio, leading the teams responsible for delivering critical technologies that power FPGA-based solutions across AI, communications, embedded systems, cloud infrastructure, and next-generation computing applications. This role will have significant influence on Altera's product strategy, customer success, and long-term technology leadership.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field
- Master's Degree (preferred)
- 12+ years of experience in software engineering, FPGA development, semiconductor technologies, or related technical domains
- 6+ years of engineering leadership experience managing large, geographically distributed engineering organizations
- Experience developing software platforms, frameworks, middleware, SDKs, drivers, or IP solutions
- Deep understanding of FPGA technologies, embedded systems, and hardware/software co-design principles
- Proven track record delivering complex software products and platform technologies at scale
- Experience leading cross-functional initiatives spanning hardware, software, and product organizations
- Excellent communication, organizational, and executive leadership skills
- Experience developing FPGA IP, embedded software, device drivers, firmware, or acceleration frameworks
- Knowledge of Quartus, FPGA design flows, RTL development, verification methodologies, and FPGA system integration
- Background in AI/ML acceleration, networking, communications, DSP, embedded systems, or data center technologies
- Experience building software ecosystems supporting FPGA customers and developers
- Familiarity with Agile development methodologies, CI/CD practices, and modern software engineering processes
- Strong semiconductor industry experience within FPGA, ASIC, EDA, or related markets
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.
