Astera Labs
Technology
SeniorLabValidationEngineer
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“Senior Lab Validation Engineer at Astera Labs. Skills: PCIe protocol, Retimer architecture, SerDes signal integrity, Post-silicon validation. Root-cause customer quality concerns. Develop corrective actions”
Industry & Context.
Root cause analysis; Problem-solving; Analytical skills; Narrow down failures; Troubleshooting
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, 5 years relevant experience, 5 years hands-on mixed high-speed lab experience, Python programming, Deep understanding of PCIe protocol, Deep understanding of retimer architecture, Deep understanding of SerDes signal integrity, Hands-on experience debugging retimers, Hands-on experience debugging PCIe switches, Background in NRZ/PAM4 architectures, Experience in post-silicon validation, Experience in bring-up of high-speed PHYs, Experience in bring-up of retimers, Solid problem-solving skills, Solid analytical skills, Written communication skills, Verbal communication skills
Nice to Have
Master's degree preferred, C programming experience, Experience with optics, Experience with chip-level security, Experience with RAS features, ATE Advantest V93K experience, Understanding of system-level architecture
What You'll Do.
Root-cause customer quality concerns
Develop corrective actions
Root-cause failures to circuit level
Root-cause failures to package level
Root-cause failures to firmware level
Root-cause failures to protocol level
Modify device firmware
Test engineering theories
Investigate link training issues
Investigate lane margining failures
Investigate eye closure
Investigate jitter sensitivity
Investigate protocol errors
Investigate interoperability problems
Debug retimer specific failures
Debug pass-through path issues
Debug clock forwarding problems
Debug equalization settings
Debug link bring-up reliability
Analyze high speed link failures
Analyze lane mapping errors
Analyze bifurcation errors
Analyze hot-plug issues
Analyze compliance test failures
Analyze error propagation
Use advanced lab instrumentation
Characterize failures
Identify weak design corners
Identify weak process corners
Provide feedback on system-level integration
Drive physical failure analysis
Document debug findings
Propose design improvements
Propose process improvements
Propose test improvements
Contribute to FA methodologies
Participate in new product development
Ensure readiness for customer returns
Collaborate in development of evaluation hardware
Collaborate in development of evaluation sockets
Collaborate in development of FA friendly sockets
Collaborate in development of scripts
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Design teams; Validation teams; System engineering teams
Communication Scope
Written communication; Verbal communication
Full Job Description
Astera Labs (NASDAQ: ALAB) provides rack-scale AI infrastructure through purpose-built connectivity solutions. By collaborating with hyperscalers and ecosystem partners, Astera Labs enables organizations to unlock the full potential of modern AI. Astera Labs’ Intelligent Connectivity Platform integrates CXL®, Ethernet, NVLink, PCIe®, and UALink™ semiconductor-based technologies with the company’s COSMOS software suite to unify diverse components into cohesive, flexible systems that deliver end-to-end scale-up, and scale-out connectivity. The company’s custom connectivity solutions business complements its standards-based portfolio, enabling customers to deploy tailored architectures to meet their unique infrastructure requirements. Discover more at www.asteralabs.com. As an Astera Labs Senior Lead Lab Validation Engineer, you will take a hands-on role to find the root cause of any customer quality concerns and develop corrective actions. You will: Directly root-cause failures to the circuit, package, firmware, or protocol-level interactions. Collaborate with design, validation, and system engineering teams as needed. Modify device firmware to test out engineering theories leading to potential fixes or production screens. Investigate failures such as link training issues, lane margining failures, eye closure, jitter sensitivity, protocol errors, and interoperability problems. Debug retimer specific failures, including pass-through path issues, clock forwarding problems, equalization settings, and link bring-up reliability. Analyze high speed link failures, including lane mapping, bifurcation errors, hot-plug issues, compliance test failures, and error propagation across multiple ports. Use advanced lab instrumentation (BERT, high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, VNAs, TDR, spectrum analyzers) to characterize and isolate failures. Develop and run stress tests and margining experiments to identify weak design or process corners. Provide feedback on system-l
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