AI Engineer

Job Details:

Job Description:

AI Engineer - Agentic AI Systems

Why This Role Matters

AI is shifting from models to autonomous systems . At Altera, we are building agentic AI platforms tightly coupled with FPGA acceleration , enabling intelligent systems that can reason, act, and scale in real-world environments .

This role is designed for high-potential engineers early in their careers who want to:

• work on cutting-edge AI (LLMs + agents + RAG)
  
• gain exposure to hardware-software co-design
  
• and grow quickly into technical leaders in AI systems
  

What You'll Work On

Build Real Agentic AI Systems

• Develop LLM-powered agents that use tools, APIs, and data to complete complex tasks
  
• Implement RAG pipelines for large-scale knowledge integration
  
• Ship end-to-end systems from data ingestion → reasoning → action
  

Go Beyond "Model Usage"

• Design multi-step reasoning workflows , not just prompt calls
  
• Evaluate and improve model behavior (accuracy, latency, cost)
  
• Work with both open-source and frontier models
  

AI Meets Hardware (Differentiator)

• Collaborate with FPGA/ASIC teams on hardware-aware AI design
  
• Learn how AI systems are optimized across CPU / GPU / FPGA
  
• Explore efficient inference and system-level performance tradeoffs
  

Build Platforms, Not Just Features

• Develop reusable components for:
  
  • memory and context management
    
  • tool integration
    
  • knowledge retrieval
    
• Contribute to internal AI platforms used across teams
  

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.


$133.2K - $192.8K 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:

What We're Looking For

Background

• Master's (or exceptional Bachelor's) in CS, EE, or related field
  
• 3+ years experience (internships, research, or industry)
  

Technical Strength

• Strong coding skills in Python (C++ is a plus)
  
• Hands-on experience building:
  
  • AI/ML projects, OR
    
  • backend / distributed systems
    
• Solid fundamentals in:
  
  • data structures
    
  • system design basics
    

Signal of Excellence (What Sets You Apart)

• You've built something non-trivial:
  
  • AI project, open-source contribution, or research prototype
    
• You learn new frameworks quickly and ship working systems
  
• You're curious about how systems work end-to-end , not just models
  

Bonus Points

• Experience with:
  
  • LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar
    
  • vector databases (FAISS, Milvus, etc.)
    
• Exposure to:
  
  • RAG, prompt engineering, or agent workflows
    
  • hardware acceleration or performance optimization
    

What You'll Get

Fast Growth

• Work directly with senior architects and domain experts
  
• Clear path toward Senior Engineer → Architect roles
  

High Learning Density

• Exposure to both:
  
  • modern AI systems (LLMs, agents)
    
  • hardware acceleration (FPGA/ASIC)
    

Real Ownership

• Build production systems-not demos
  
• Your work will be used in real engineering workflows
  

Unique Positioning

• Few roles combine:
  
  • Agentic AI systems
    
  • EDA / semiconductor domain
    
  • hardware-aware AI optimization
    

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.