About Altera
At Altera™, our independence as the world’s largest pure-play FPGA solutions provider gives us the focus, speed, and agility to innovate without compromise. With more than four decades of industry-leading FPGA expertise, our singular mission is to deliver the programmable technologies that help customers differentiate, innovate, and scale across rapidly evolving markets like AI, cloud, networking, automotive, and edge. As an independent company, we move faster, invest deeper, and partner more closely—empowering our teams to drive breakthrough innovation and shape the future of the FPGA industry.
About the Role
Altera is seeking an experienced SoC uArchitect / Architect to help define next-generation FPGA-based heterogeneous platforms for automotive, embedded AI, robotics, video/vision, and safety-critical edge applications. This role is intended for candidates with 8+ years of experience in SoC architecture, processor subsystem design, embedded systems, or heterogeneous compute platforms, with strong exposure to ARM-based SoC development and system-level architecture.
In this role, you will contribute to architecture and microarchitecture definition for ARM processor subsystems, safety islands, interconnect fabrics (AXI/APB), memory systems, and FPGA-to-processor integration for edge platforms. You will work across hardware, software, firmware, verification, and product teams to translate platform requirements into architecture specifications, microarchitecture definitions, IP requirements, and validation-ready designs.
This is a hands-on architecture role where you will be expected to engage deeply in microarchitecture definition, hardware/software interface design, performance tradeoffs, and system-level debug and analysis. Strong exposure to ARM-based SoCs, embedded platforms, or automotive systems is essential, along with a working understanding of how architecture decisions translate into RTL, firmware, and system behavior.
Experience with automotive concepts such as safety islands, fault containment, or ISO 26262 principles is highly valuable, as is experience in embedded AI, video/vision processing, or FPGA-based acceleration platforms.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities may include but are not limited to:
Define system-level architecture and microarchitecture for FPGA-based heterogeneous SoC platforms targeting automotive, embedded AI, robotics, and edge applications
Contribute to ARM processor subsystem architecture, including CPU integration, memory maps, interrupts, boot flows, clocks/resets, and software-visible interfaces
Define and refine safety island and real-time subsystem architectures, including fault containment, diagnostics, watchdog mechanisms, and system monitoring
Develop interconnect architecture across AXI/APB-based fabrics, including DMA flows, QoS considerations, and peripheral integration
Define memory subsystem architecture including DDR interfaces, SRAM, caches, buffering strategies, and data movement optimization
Support architecture definition for video/vision and sensor processing pipelines for real-time embedded applications
Work on integration between ARM subsystems, FPGA fabric, accelerators, and firmware/software stacks
Create architecture and microarchitecture specifications, register definitions, address maps, and performance requirements
Collaborate with RTL, design verification, firmware, software, validation, and product teams to ensure architecture execution
Participate in architecture reviews, performance analysis, emulation planning, and system debug activities
Analyze system performance, identify bottlenecks, and support tradeoff analysis for power, performance, and area optimization
Support pre-silicon and post-silicon debug efforts including firmware bring-up and system issue triage
Translate platform and customer requirements into scalable architecture decisions and subsystem requirements
Salary Range
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.
$133,200 - $190,000 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, or related technical field
8+ years total experience in SoC architecture, embedded systems, processor subsystem design, or FPGA/ASIC development
3+ years experience in SoC or subsystem architecture definition (CPU, memory, interconnect, or platform-level architecture)
3+ years experience working with or designing ARM-based systems or embedded processor subsystems
3+ years experience in system-level hardware/software architecture (boot flows, memory maps, interrupts, registers, firmware interaction)
2+ years experience in interconnects and bus protocols such as AXI, AHB, APB, or equivalent SoC fabrics
2+ years experience in memory subsystem concepts including DDR, caching, or system memory hierarchy
2+ years experience working cross-functionally with RTL, firmware, verification, or validation teams
1+ year experience in performance analysis, bottleneck identification, or system-level debug
Experience working on embedded systems, heterogeneous compute platforms, or SoC-based products
Strong understanding of how architectural decisions translate into implementation across hardware and software stacks
Experience participating in system-level debug, emulation, pre-silicon validation, or post-silicon bring-up activities
Preferred Qualifications
Master’s degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
Experience with automotive SoC concepts including safety islands, fault isolation, watchdogs, or ISO 26262 fundamentals
Exposure to embedded AI, edge computing, robotics, or video/vision processing systems
Experience with Linux, RTOS, firmware, or low-level software on ARM-based systems
Familiarity with PCIe, Ethernet, MIPI, USB, or similar high-speed interfaces
Experience with FPGA-based acceleration or heterogeneous compute architectures
Exposure to system-level performance modeling or architecture simulation tools
Experience collaborating across architecture, RTL, firmware, and validation teams in complex SoC programs
Regular
Shift 1 (United States of America)
San Jose, California, United States
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by local law, regulation, or ordinance.
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.
