FPGA IP Software Development Engineer

Altera•San Jose, CA

4d•$133,200 - $212,700

About The Position

Altera is seeking an FPGA IP Software Development Engineer to help develop next-generation FPGA-based platforms and embedded solutions. The role focuses primarily on FPGA RTL development and system integration for embedded, networking, and acceleration applications, including PCIe, High-Speed Interfaces (HPS), External Memory Interfaces (EMIF), and Ethernet IPs. The engineer will collaborate with hardware, software, and application teams on FPGA hardware/software co-development, system bring-up, debugging, validation, and optimization. Products include SmartNICs, embedded platforms involving GPUs and ARM HPS-based solutions, and communication and data center acceleration systems. The role also contributes to FPGA architecture discussions, development-process improvements, tool and flow evaluation, and customer-facing technical investigations as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
At least 3 years of experience in FPGA design and development.
Strong RTL development experience using Verilog and/or SystemVerilog.
Experience integrating FPGA IPs such as PCIe, Ethernet, EMIF, and ARM HPS.
Experience with FPGA system bring-up, validation, and debugging.
Understanding of FPGA development toolchains and implementation flows.
Strong problem-solving and debugging skills.
Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, fast-paced development environment.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree; strongly preferred.
Experience with FPGA hardware/software co-development and system-level integration.
Software development experience in C/C++, Python, or embedded Linux environments.
Experience developing FPGA-based embedded systems or SmartNIC solutions.
Familiarity with networking protocols and data center acceleration architectures.
Experience with FPGA acceleration frameworks and software abstractions.
Prior research or industry experience in FPGA-based acceleration, embedded systems, communications, robotics, or AI/GPU applications.
Experience working within a semiconductor or programmable logic environment.
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and ability to bridge hardware and software development teams.
Excellent debugging and root-cause analysis capabilities.
Self-motivation and enthusiasm for learning new technologies.
Strong communication and technical documentation skills.
Interest in environments where hardware and software are developed concurrently.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, integrate, and validate RTL for FPGA-based systems and platforms.
Implement and integrate FPGA subsystems using I/O technologies such as PCIe, EMIF, Ethernet and networking IPs, and on-board ARM Hard Processor Systems (HPS).
Support FPGA system architecture, performance optimization, and debugging.
Collaborate with software and application teams on FPGA hardware/software co-design and integration.
Support board bring-up, system-level validation, and debugging.
Develop software abstractions, drivers, and frameworks that enable FPGA acceleration solutions.
Work with cross-functional teams to optimize end-to-end system performance.
Contribute to development of SmartNIC solutions, embedded computing platforms, ARM-based FPGA systems, and communication and data center acceleration solutions.
Participate in architecture discussions and technical reviews.
Support product deployment and customer-facing technical investigations as needed.
Improve FPGA development, verification, and debugging methodologies.
Evaluate and adopt new tools, flows, and automation techniques.
Stay current with advancements in FPGA technologies, networking, and embedded systems.