Senior FPGA Security Architect– Aerospace, Defense & Government

Altera•San Jose, CA

About The Position

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.

Requirements

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
Applicants must be eligible for any required U.S. export authorizations.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

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
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
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
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