Director of AI Transformation & Engineering Excellence

Altera is seeking a visionary and hands-on Director of AI Transformation & Engineering Excellence to lead enterprise-wide AI initiatives that accelerate productivity, modernize engineering workflows, and drive innovation. In this role, you will architect advanced AI/ML solutions, build and scale Altera’s AI Office, and elevate engineering excellence across the organization.

This position is ideal for a deeply technical leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, execution, and organizational transformation., * Lead the strategic planning, design, and execution of AI-driven transformation initiatives across Altera.

• Architect scalable, production-grade AI/ML systems that improve engineering throughput and business productivity.
• Build and mentor an AI Office team focused on innovation, enterprise enablement, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with technology, product, and business leaders to identify and develop AI opportunities with measurable ROI.
• Champion engineering excellence-coding standards, MLOps best practices, automation, and performance optimization.
• Stay ahead of advancements in AI, LLMs, generative models, and intelligent automation to guide technology direction.
• Engage in hands-on prototyping, model development, and technical reviews.
• Define KPIs, metrics, and dashboards to track the impact of AI transformation efforts.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, experimentation, and a strong can-do attitude.

• 10+ years of hands-on AI/ML engineering or applied research leadership.
• MS or PhD in Machine Learning, AI, Computer Science, or related field.
• Deep expertise in designing, developing, and deploying large-scale AI/ML solutions.
• Strong proficiency in Python, and frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, and Scikit-learn.
• Experience leading technical teams and building AI capabilities from the ground up.
• Proven track record in driving AI-enabled productivity improvements or engineering transformations.
• Excellent communication, cross-functional leadership, and stakeholder alignment skills.
• A collaborative mindset, high ownership, and ateam-first, can-do approach., * Experience launching or leading an AI Center of Excellence (CoE).
• Expertise in LLMs, generative AI, RAG systems, and vector retrieval technologies.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform) and scalable distributed systems.
• Publications, patents, or research contributions in ML/AI.

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.

$206,400 - $290,000 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.