Senior FPGA Security Architect– Aerospace, Defense & Government

Job Details

Job Description:

We are seeking a Senior FPGA Security Architect to lead customer-facing security engagements focused on programmable logic and adaptive compute platforms in the Aerospace, Defense and Government (ADG) market implementing mission-critical and long-life systems. This customer-facing role focuses on helping defense contractors and aerospace partners implement robust FPGA security architectures that address anti-tamper, IP protection, supply chain assurance, and long-term lifecycle management.

As a trusted technical advisor, you will guide customers through secure FPGA design and deployment, translate program requirements into practical security architectures, and support complex engagements in highly regulated environments. This role works closely with Sales, Field Applications Engineers, and Product Planning teams to enable secure design wins while influencing internal FPGA security features and strategy based on real-world customer needs and evolving threat landscapes.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Security Advisor (ADG Focus)

• Act as a trusted FPGA security advisor to aerospace and defense customers
• Lead customer discussions on FPGA security architecture, threat modeling, and risk tradeoffs
• Translate customer use cases, mission requirements, regulatory requirements, and threat models into clear FPGA security recommendations
• Support engagements involving sensitive or controlled program constraints
• Engage with senior technical and business stakeholders, including architects, security teams, and executives
  
  

FPGA Security Architecture

• Advise on secure FPGA design and deployment, including:
• Bitstream encryption, authentication, and IP protection
• Key management, secure provisioning, and device identity
• Protection against cloning, reverse engineering, and IP theft
• Secure boot and chain-of-trust for FPGA-based systems
• Side-channel and fault-injection awareness and mitigations
• Device identity, secure provisioning, and lifecycle control
• Secure sustainment, re-keying, and field updates over extended lifetimes
  

Pre-Sales & Program Support

• Partner with Sales and FAEs and Product teams to support complex ADG customer engagements and design wins
• Deliver security-focused presentations, architecture reviews, and technical workshops
• Represent Altera in customer briefings, industry forums, and security-focused events
• Support RFIs, RFPs, and customer security assessments
• Contribute to program-level security planning and technical alignment
• Clearly articulate security value, differentiation, and risk reduction in customer-facing engagements
  
  

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Provide customer-driven feedback into Altera’s FPGA product security roadmaps
• Share ADG market insights, regulatory requirements, emerging threats, industry best practices, and program requirements with internal teams
• Collaborate with internal security, engineering, and product stakeholders
  
  

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.

$200.4K - $290.1K 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.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (Master’s preferred)
• 10 years of experience in FPGA design, SoC architecture, or hardware security
• Strong understanding of FPGA architectures, configuration flows, and development tools
• Experience with FPGA security features such as bitstream encryption, secure boot, key management, and device authentication
• Ability to communicate complex security topics clearly to technical and program stakeholders
• Experience supporting aerospace, defense, or government programs
• Experience working directly with customers in a technical or advisory capacity
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SoC FPGAs and embedded processors (e.g., ARM-based FPGA platforms)
• Familiarity with anti-tamper, IP protection, physically unclonable functions (PUFs) and long-term sustainment requirements
• Knowledge of cryptographic implementations and key management in constrained hardware environments
• Knowledge of hardware security standards or frameworks relevant to ADG programs
• Exposure to supply chain security, trusted manufacturing, and device provenance
  
  

Job Type

Regular

Shift

Shift 1 (United States of America)

Primary Location:

San Jose, California, United States

Additional Locations:

Posting Statement

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.