FPGA Compiler (Placer) Engineer

Altera Corporation

$129K — $187K *
Technical Services
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
  • 6+ years in FPGA/ASIC CAD, EDA tools, or related fields
  • Strong background in algorithms and data structures, particularly in optimization and graph theory
  • Proven experience with placement algorithms or physical design flows
  • Proficiency in C/C++ and knowledge of software engineering best practices
  • Familiarity with placement techniques such as analytical placement and simulated annealing
  • Experience in timing-driven and congestion-driven optimization, particularly for FPGA/ASIC designs

Responsibilities

  • Design, implement, and enhance FPGA placement algorithms for optimization
  • Contribute to the end-to-end FPGA compilation flow, collaborating with other engineering teams
  • Improve runtime performance and quality of results for large-scale customer designs
  • Develop timing-aware placement strategies for high-frequency designs
  • Partner with architecture, routing, and STA teams on placement strategies
  • Analyze placement quality and congestion hotspots to identify bottlenecks
  • Integrate new placement capabilities into the compiler infrastructure and validate against diverse workloads

Benefits

  • Work on core compiler technology impacting FPGA performance
  • Engage in solving challenging algorithmic problems at scale
  • Collaborate with top-tier teams across architecture, silicon, and software
Full Job Description
Job Details:

Job Description:

Position Overview

Altera is a leader in FPGA innovation, delivering programmable solutions that power AI, cloud computing, networking, and edge applications. Our compiler and tools teams are central to enabling customers to efficiently map complex designs onto advanced FPGA architectures.

Altera is seeking a FPGA Compiler Engineer (Placer) to join our Compiler team in Toronto, Ontario Canada. This role focuses on developing and optimizing FPGA placement algorithms within the compiler toolchain, directly impacting performance, power efficiency, and overall design quality.

The ideal candidate brings strong expertise in EDA algorithms, large-scale system optimization, and FPGA/ASIC physical design flows, along with a passion for solving complex, performance-critical problems.

Key Responsibilities:
  • Placement Algorithm Development:
    Design, implement, and enhance FPGA placement algorithms to optimize timing, congestion, and resource utilization.
  • Compiler Flow Enhancement:
    Contribute to the end-to-end FPGA compilation flow, working closely with routing, synthesis, and timing teams.
  • Performance Optimization:
    Improve runtime performance, scalability, and quality of results (QoR) for large and complex customer designs.
  • Timing-Driven Placement:
    Develop and refine timing-aware placement strategies to support high-frequency, performance-critical designs.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration:
    Partner with architecture, routing, and STA teams to align placement strategies with FPGA device capabilities and constraints.
  • Debug & Analysis:
    Analyze placement quality, congestion hotspots, and timing bottlenecks; drive improvements to convergence and design closure.
  • Toolchain Integration:
    Integrate new placement capabilities into the compiler infrastructure and validate across diverse workloads.


Why Join Altera?
  • Work on core compiler technology that directly impacts FPGA performance and usability
  • Solve challenging algorithmic problems at scale
  • Collaborate with world-class teams across architecture, silicon, and software


Our compensation is designed to reflect the Canadian labour market. The actual salary offered may vary based on several factors, including the position's location, as well as the candidate's experience, skills, training, and job-specific knowledge. In addition to base salary, we offer performance-based incentive opportunities that reward both individual contributions and overall company success.

Estimated Salary Range: $129.1 - $187.0 CAD

We use artificial intelligence to screen, assess, or select applicants for the position. This posting is for an existing vacancy. Canadian work experience is not required for this role. Applicants must be eligible for any required Canada export authorizations.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
  • 6+ years of experience in FPGA/ASIC CAD, EDA tools, or related fields.
  • Experiencein algorithms and data structures (optimization, graph theory, heuristics)
  • Experience with placement algorithms or physical design flows
  • Experience in C/C++ and software engineering best practices
  • Experience with placement techniques (analytical placement, simulated annealing, partitioning, clustering)
  • Experience with Timing-driven and congestion-driven optimization
  • Experience in ASIC or FPGA physical design methodologies
  • Experience in solving complex, large-scale optimization problems with high performance and scalability requirements.


Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with FPGA toolchains (e.g., Quartus, Vivado)
  • Knowledge of FPGA architectures and interconnect fabrics
  • Familiarity with routing and timing closure techniques
  • Experience with parallel or distributed algorithms for EDA tools
  • Scripting experience (e.g., Python, Tcl) for tooling and automation


Job Type:
Regular

Shift:
Shift 1 (Canada)

Primary Location:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Additional Locations:

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