Senior Director of Engineering

Altera is seeking a Senior 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. 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field; Master's Degree preferred. 

• 15+ years of experience in software engineering, FPGA development, semiconductor technologies, or related technical domains. 

• 8+ 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 Senior 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.