HLD Validation Technical Lead

Altera; Seberang Perai; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Altera in Penang, Malaysia, seeks a senior FPGA software engineer to design, develop, and optimize FPGA toolchains, flows, and runtimes that tightly couple software with FPGA silicon, IP, and boards. You will advance compilers, models, and firmware with deep hardware knowledge.

Lead validation efforts, define test plans, and mentor engineers while collaborating with cross-functional teams across hardware and software. Proficiency in Python, Perl, Tcl, or shell and CI/CD is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering, CS, or related field.
• 8+ years of FPGA development or verification experience with hands-on FPGA design flows.
• 3+ years in technical leadership or project leadership coordinating validation work.
• Strong understanding of FPGA architectures, tool flows, timing analysis, and hardware execution.
• Experience developing validation strategies, test plans, regression suites, and release-quality assessments.
• Proficiency with scripting and automation (Python/Perl/Tcl/shell) and CI/CD experience.
• Ability to debug cross-layer FPGA software issues and communicate findings to stakeholders.
• Excellent collaboration, mentoring, and communication skills in cross-functional settings.

Responsibilities

• Research, design, develop, and optimize software tools for FPGA use.
• Develop and optimize compilers, flows, models, and runtimes closely tied to FPGA silicon and boards.
• Design software abstractions/frameworks for acceleration with FPGA for DL, DSP, or data analytics; respond to customer requests.

Skills

FPGA development

software-tool verification

technical leadership

scripting automation

Python

Perl

Tcl

CI/CD

debugging FPGA issues

communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field

Tools

Quartus Prime

Verilog

VHDL

FPGA design tools

Job description

Job Details

Job Description:

• Researches, designs, develops, and optimizes software tools that enable the use of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA).
• Develops and optimizes compilers, flows, assemblers, models, tools, runtimes, and/or firmwares that are closely coupled to FPGA silicon, IP, and boards, while leveraging strong knowledge of FPGA hardware, logic design, board design, semiconductor devices, and chip layout.
• Designs, develops, and optimizes software abstractions and frameworks for acceleration with the FPGA for domains such as deep learning, DSP algorithms, or data analytics. Responds to customer/client requests or events as they occur.

Qualifications:

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in FPGA development, software-tool verification, or validation, including substantial hands-on work with FPGA design flows.
• 3+ years of technical leadership, project leadership, or equivalent experience guiding engineers and coordinating complex validation work.
• Strong understanding of FPGA architectures and tool flows from design entry through compilation, simulation, implementation, timing analysis, and hardware execution.
• Experience developing validation strategies, test plans, regression suites, defect reports, and release-quality assessments for complex software tools.
• Proficiency with scripting and automation, such as Python, Perl, Tcl, or shell, and experience with CI/CD or automated regression infrastructure.
• Demonstrated ability to debug cross-layer software and FPGA issues, analyze results, make risk-based recommendations, and communicate findings to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Strong collaboration, mentoring, and written and verbal communication skills in a cross-functional environment.

Preferred qualifications

• Direct experience using or validating at least one HLD tool category: high-level synthesis, DSP-oriented design, AI-oriented FPGA tools, compiler flows, or design-generation tools. Experience with FPGA AI Suite, HLS Compiler, or DSP Builder is especially valuable.
• Hands-on experience with Altera/Intel Quartus Prime or comparable FPGA development tools from other vendors.
• Familiarity with Verilog or VHDL; simulation, waveform, synthesis, place-and-route, and timing-analysis tools.
• Experience with FPGA development kits, board-level testing, SoC integration, PCIe or embedded flows, or hardware/software bring-up.
• Experience with Linux and Windows test environments, containers, virtual machines, and shared lab infrastructure.
• Experience with performance characterization, AI model benchmarking, test-result analysis, and automated reporting.
• Experience with UI automation using Playwright, Selenium, or comparable tools where applicable to the supported product flows.

Success measures

• Validation coverage and release criteria remain aligned with HLD product requirements, customer workflows, and release commitments.
• Critical defects and coverage gaps are identified early, communicated with clear impact, and resolved or given an explicit release disposition.
• Regressions, environments, and reports are reliable, maintainable, and usable by other engineers without dependence on a single individual.
• Automation improves repeatability, useful coverage, triage speed, and reporting consistency while reducing avoidable manual effort.
• Stakeholders receive timely, evidence-based assessments of validation status and release risk.
• Validation engineers receive effective technical guidance and grow in ownership of their work.

Job Type: Regular

Shift: Shift 1 (Malaysia)

Primary Location: Penang 15, Penang, Malaysia

Additional Locations: Austin, Texas, United States

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.