Business Development Manager-Physical AI

191 Altera Corporation; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 167,000 - 242,000; Full time

Job summary

Altera seeks a Senior Robotics and Edge AI leader to shape market strategy with robotics OEMs and automation vendors. You will drive opportunities in deterministic control, multi-sensor integration, and edge inference, translating customer needs into FPGA-based solutions across platforms.

The role requires 7+ years in robotics, industrial automation, and edge AI, with strong expertise in real-time systems, ROS/ROS2, and AI frameworks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred).
• 7+ years of experience in robotics, industrial / factory automation, autonomous systems, or edge AI / embedded systems.
• Strong understanding of motion control, real-time systems, and industrial networking concepts.
• Familiarity with interfaces: EtherCAT, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, TSN, encoder interfaces (BiSS, EnDat, SSI).

Responsibilities

• Identify and develop market opportunities in robotics, automation, and edge AI.
• Engage with OEMs, system integrators, and vendors to drive design-ins across platforms.
• Provide sales enablement through solution briefs, reference architectures, and ROI analyses.
• Collaborate with product/engineering to align customer needs with FPGA-based solutions.
• Support customer discussions on perception, control, and safety in industrial environments.

Skills

Robotics

Industrial automation

Real-time systems

AI/ML fundamentals

Edge AI

Education

Bachelors in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Master's preferred

Tools

ROS / ROS2

AI frameworks

Edge AI toolchains

FPGA experience

Job description

Job Details

Job Type: Regular Shift: Shift 1 (United States of America)

Primary Location: San Jose, California, United States

Additional Locations:

Key Responsibilities

• 1. Market Development & Strategy

  Identify and prioritize target segments including: Robotics: industrial and collaborative robots (cobots), autonomous mobile robots (AMR/AGV), humanoids, end-of-arm tooling Autonomous systems: drones / UAVs, autonomous ground and off-road vehicles, autonomous material handling Industrial and factory automation: PLC / PAC controllers, motion and servo-drive control, machine control, IIoT / edge gateways Edge AI: edge AI appliances and gateways, smart cameras and sensors, on-premise inference platforms

  Track and interpret trends in: Edge AI and on-device inference (model deployment, quantization, AI acceleration) Multi-sensor fusion (camera, LiDAR, IMU, force / torque) Real-time deterministic control, multi-axis motion, and industrial networking convergence (fieldbus TSN) Industry 4.0 / IIoT, predictive maintenance, and the software-defined factory Robotics and autonomy software stacks (ROS / ROS2) and AI frameworks

  Identify opportunities where customers require: Deterministic, low-latency control and motion loops High-throughput, low-power edge AI inference Multi-sensor aggregation and time synchronization Functional safety for human-machine collaboration Reconfigurability across evolving platforms and long industrial lifecycles

• 2. Customer Engagement & Design Wins

  Build relationships with robotics OEMs, industrial-automation vendors (controls, drives, machine builders), autonomous-system developers, edge AI platform vendors, module / subsystem suppliers, and system integrators Drive early-stage engagement with Sales to: Influence system and safety architecture decisions Position FPGA-based solutions across control, sensing, networking, and edge AI systems Secure design-ins across platforms, machines, and derivatives Support technical sales discussions spanning: Motor / motion control (field-oriented control, multi-axis servo, encoder interfacing) Industrial control and real-time networking (PLC / PAC, EtherCAT, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, TSN) Sensor fusion and perception pipelines Edge AI / ML inference (CNN- and transformer-based workloads) Functional-safety implementation (safe motion, redundancy, diagnostics) Engage in system-level discussions involving: Perception planning actuation pipelines Centralized vs distributed control architectures (robot, machine, and factory cell) Deterministic vs GPU-based processing trade-offs

• 3. Ecosystem & Partnerships

  Build and manage relationships with: Sensor, encoder, and actuator / drive vendors Industrial networking, controls, and automation-software vendors IP providers and software / AI stack vendors (ROS ecosystem, vision / AI frameworks) Robotics and automation module makers, ODMs, and system integrators Enable joint solutions and reference designs to accelerate customer adoption

• 4. Sales Enablement & Execution

  Develop high-impact sales collateral including solution briefs, reference architectures (motion control, industrial networking, sensor fusion, edge AI), competitive positioning vs FPGA / SoC / ASSP / GPU / MCU alternatives, and ROI / TCO analyses Support Sales teams with: Use-case driven messaging for robotics, autonomous systems, industrial automation, and edge AI applications Customer presentations and technical positioning Opportunity qualification and deal progression Deliver presentations at customer meetings, industry events, and trade shows

• 5. Internal Collaboration

  Provide structured market feedback to product management and engineering Influence product direction based on customer needs related to: Real-time I/O and deterministic networking Motion-control and safety features Edge AI capabilities and AI fabric Power, thermal, and form-factor for embedded, mobile, and industrial deployment Support pricing discussions and business case development

Recruitment Process

We use artificial intelligence to screen, assess, or select applicants for the position.

Pay Range and Incentives

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.

$166.9K - $241.6K USD

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred)
• 7+ years of experience in: Robotics, industrial / factory automation, autonomous systems, or edge AI / embedded systems Semiconductor, module, controls, or OEM environments
• Strong understanding of: Motion / motor control and real-time systems Industrial control and networking concepts Sensor technologies and fusion (camera, LiDAR, IMU, force / torque) AI / ML fundamentals (edge inference pipelines)
• Familiarity with key interfaces and networks: EtherCAT, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, TSN, real-time Ethernet Encoder interfaces (BiSS, EnDat, SSI), MIPI CSI-2
• Experience engaging global customers and managing long design cycles

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with FPGA-based systems or FPGA solution selling
• Understanding of high-speed I/O and memory subsystems, multi-axis motion control, and edge AI deployment constraints (latency, power, form factor)
• Familiarity with ROS / ROS2, AI frameworks, and edge AI toolchains
• Awareness of functional-safety and industrial standards (ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066, IEC 61508 / SIL, IEC 61131-3, IEC 62443)
• Prior experience with: Robotics OEMs or integrators Industrial automation / controls / drive companies Autonomous-system, drone, or AMR/AGV developers Edge AI platform or appliance vendors MBA or business training is a plus

Critical Success Factors

• Design-in mindset: Ability to engage early and secure long lifecycle platform wins
• System-level thinking: Understanding the complete signal chain from sensing through processing to actuation
• Execution focus: Ability to convert opportunities into pipeline and revenue
• Customer-centric approach: Strong listening skills and ability to translate requirements into solutions
• Ecosystem leverage: Driving wins through partnerships, not just silicon features

KPIs / Success Metrics

• Design wins and revenue growth across robotics, autonomous systems, industrial automation, and edge AI segments
• Number of qualified opportunities identified in motion control, industrial networking, sensor fusion, and edge AI systems
• Pipeline growth and forecast accuracy
• Engagements with OEMs, automation vendors, module vendors, and system integrators
• Contribution to sales enablement and deal progression

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.

About Altera

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.