General Support Engineer – Aerospace, Defense & Government (ADG)

Altera; Portsmouth (NH); On-site; USD 96,000 - 139,000; Full time

Job summary

Altera is seeking a General Support Engineer to back the Aerospace, Defense, and Government organization, focusing on hands-on FPGA platform support, bring-up, debug, and ongoing system assistance for mission-critical applications.

You will collaborate with FPGA, hardware design, and software teams to validate designs, resolve complex issues, and document best practices for sustaining engineering and customer success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years of hardware support or board-level engineering.
• Experience with hardware bring-up, lab debug, and troubleshooting.
• Familiarity with FPGA-based systems and system-level integration.
• Knowledge of high-speed interfaces (e.g., DDR, PCIe, Ethernet).
• Hands-on experience with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers).
• Experience with RTL design using Verilog/SystemVerilog.
• Programming/scripting in Tcl, Python, Java, or similar.

Responsibilities

• Provide board- and system-level support for FPGA platforms in ADG applications.
• Bring-up, validation, and debug in lab and customer environments.
• Troubleshoot SI/PI and system integration issues.
• Support high-speed interfaces (DDR, PCIe, Ethernet).
• Collaborate with FPGA, hardware design, and software teams for issues.
• Assist customers and internal stakeholders with technical resolutions.
• Develop validation plans, debug strategies, and test procedures.
• Document findings and best practices to improve processes.
• Support sustaining engineering and platform improvements.
• Develop/modify RTL FPGA designs using Verilog/SystemVerilog.
• Collaborate to implement and debug RTL FPGA-based solutions.

Skills

RTL design

Hardware bring-up

Debugging

Education

Bachelors in EE/CE

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic Analyzers

Protocol Analyzers

Job description

Job Details:

Job Description:

Altera is an independent company delivering programmable solutions that power high-performance and mission-critical applications. Our FPGA technologies enable innovation across aerospace, defense, and government systems where reliability, security, and performance are paramount.

Role Overview

Altera is seeking a General Support Engineer to support the Aerospace, Defense, and Government (ADG) organization. This role focuses on providing hands‑on technical support for FPGA‑based board and system platforms, including bring‑up, debug, validation, and ongoing system support for mission‑critical applications.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide board- and system-level support for FPGA-based platforms used in ADG applications

• Perform hardware bring‑up, validation, and debug in lab and customer environments

• Troubleshoot complex issues related to signal integrity (SI), power integrity (PI), and system integration

• Support high-speed interfaces (e.g., DDR, PCIe, Ethernet) and resolve performance issues

• Collaborate with FPGA, hardware design, and software teams to diagnose and resolve system‑level challenges

• Assist customers and internal stakeholders with technical issue resolution and system optimization

• Develop and execute validation plans, debug strategies, and test procedures

• Document findings, solutions, and best practices to improve support and engineering processes

• Support sustaining engineering efforts and continuous improvement of deployed platforms

• Develop, modify, and debug FPGA designs using Verilog/SystemVerilog RTL to support customer applications, reference designs, and internal development efforts.

• Collaborate with FPGA architects, design engineers, and software teams to implement and debug RTL FPGA-based solutions.

The pay range below is for NH only. Actual salary may vary based ona number offactors including job location, job-related knowledge, skills, experiences,trainings, etc. We also offer incentive opportunities that reward employees based on individual and company performance.

$96.0K- $138.9KUSD

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:

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field

• 3+ years of experience in hardware support, system validation, or board-level engineering

• Strong experience with hardware bring‑up, lab debug, and troubleshooting

• Familiarity with FPGA‑based systems and system‑level integration

• Knowledge of high-speed digital interfaces (e.g., DDR, PCIe, Ethernet)

• Hands‑on experience with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers)

• Strong experience with RTL design and development using Verilog and/or SystemVerilog.

• Programming and scripting experience using Tcl, Python, Java, or similar languages for automation, debug, and data analysis.

Security Clearance Requirement

This position may involve work on U.S. Government contracts that require access to controlled or classified information. Accordingly, all applicants must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance as a condition of employment. Failure to obtain or maintain the required security clearance may result in the withdrawal of an employment offer or termination of employment, consistent with applicable law.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting aerospace, defense, or government programs

• Familiarity with Altera FPGA platforms and toolchain

• Understanding of signal integrity (SI) and power integrity (PI) principles

• Experience with embedded systems and HW/SW integration

• Background in customer‑facing or field applications engineering roles

• Active or prior U.S. security clearance

Key Competencies

• Strong debugging and root‑cause analysis skills in complex systems

• Ability to work effectively in mission‑critical, high‑reliability environments

• Clear and concise communication with technical and customer stakeholders

• Collaborative mindset across cross‑functional engineering teams

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and respond quickly to technical issues

Job Type:

Regular

Shift:

Shift 1 (United States of America)

Primary Location:

Portsmouth

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.