Senior Director / Vice President of Software Engineering – Front-End Design Tools & AI Acceleration (EDA + Agentic AI) at Altera

San Jose, California, United States

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Electronic Design Automation, Semiconductor, Artificial IntelligenceIndustries

Requirements

Proven leadership of large-scale engineering teams (preferably 50+ engineers)
Deep understanding of EDA tools and FPGA development workflows
Technical fluency in GUI/IDE frameworks, design data models, and toolchain integration
Familiarity with hardware/software co-design and FPGA-based acceleration
Experience with or strong interest in AI/ML acceleration on FPGA platforms
Understanding of agentic AI, LLM copilots, and developer-facing AI tools
Familiarity with platforms like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, or equivalent
Ability to translate innovation into usable, production-ready tools
Strong communicator and cross-functional collaborator
Capable of influencing senior stakeholders and aligning teams toward a shared vision
Committed to mentorship, diversity, and building a healthy engineering culture

Responsibilities

Lead the transformation toward intelligent and contextual development environments, powered by the latest in AI/LLM technology
Define the vision for AI-assisted design using LLMs and agentic workflows
Build IDE integrations and tooling copilots tailored for FPGA developers
Partner closely with product, UX, and AI platform teams to deliver seamless, intelligent experiences
Oversee the full-stack development of Quartus front-end tools, including design entrance (schematic/coding interfaces), GUI frameworks, IP integration and reuse, timing analysis and debug environments, core infrastructure, and design databases
Foster technical excellence, reliable execution, and high product quality
Build a culture of innovation and ownership across the team
Collaborate with architecture and hardware teams to ensure the front-end tooling supports AI acceleration use cases, including custom dataflow and ML model mapping
Drive integration of AI-specific IPs, reference designs, and optimization flows
Ensure the design environment is intuitive and scalable for engineers building AI/ML solutions on FPGAs

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

FPGAQuartusEDAAILLMAgentic AIGUI FrameworksIP IntegrationTiming AnalysisDebug EnvironmentsDesign DatabasesML Model MappingIDE Integrations

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What is the salary range for this position?

The pay range is $221.5K - $326.3K USD for Bay Area California only, with actual salary varying based on factors like job location, knowledge, skills, experiences, and trainings. Incentive opportunities are also offered based on individual and company performance.

Is this role remote or does it require working in an office?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What skills and experience are required for this role?

Proven leadership of large-scale engineering teams (preferably 50+ engineers), deep understanding of EDA tools and FPGA development workflows, technical fluency in GUI/IDE frameworks, design data models, and toolchain integration, plus familiarity with hardware/software co-design and FPGA-based acceleration.

What is the team structure like for this position?

You’ll lead a talented, mission-driven engineering team of ~100+ engineers.

What makes a strong candidate for this Senior Director/VP role?

Candidates with proven leadership of large-scale teams (50+ engineers), deep EDA and FPGA expertise, technical fluency in GUI/IDE frameworks and toolchain integration, plus experience or strong interest in AI/ML acceleration, agentic AI, and LLMs will stand out.

Altera

Develops digital human agents for AI

About Altera

Altera develops digital human agents that mimic human traits like empathy, friendship, and fun. Their primary product allows users to interact with an AI agent while playing Minecraft, creating a friendly and engaging experience. Altera's agents are designed to be interoperable and capable of long-term autonomy, making them suitable for both individual users and businesses. Unlike many competitors, Altera focuses on advancing research and scaling technology to deliver unique, human-like AI products. The company's goal is to redefine AI agents, enhancing their versatility and human-like qualities.

San Francisco, CaliforniaHeadquarters

2023Year Founded

$10.7MTotal Funding

SEEDCompany Stage

Consumer Software, AI & Machine LearningIndustries

11-50Employees

Risks

Priest-led cults in Altera's Minecraft simulation may cause ethical concerns.

Managing 1,000 autonomous AI agents poses safety and ethical challenges.

Creating believable digital humans may lead to misuse in deceptive AI applications.

Differentiation

Altera specializes in digital human agents with traits like empathy and friendship.

Their first product offers a unique Minecraft experience with interactive AI agents.

Altera's focus on human-like AI agents sets them apart in the AI sector.

Upsides

Altera raised $9M in May 2024, showing strong investor confidence.

AI-driven gaming experiences are gaining popularity, benefiting Altera's Minecraft product.

The rise of AI companions in mental health indicates a market for empathetic agents.

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